The agreement delimiting the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) between Cyprus and Lebanon, together with the parallel prospect of an electrical interconnection between the two countries, should be seen as a promising first step in a wider strategy. It reflects what a confident, outward-looking Cyprus can achieve when it leverages its status as a member of the European Union. In a fragile neighbourhood, we stand to gain only if our regional partners see Nicosia as a reliable actor.
For years, the Eastern Mediterranean has been associated with tension. Cyprus has a responsibility to build bridges. The revised EEZ agreement, which closes a gap of nearly two decades, after the original 2007 deal was never ratified by Beirut due to internal dynamics and its maritime dispute with Israel, subtly challenges Ankara’s narrative that Turkey is the unquestioned power in the region. This is a win on points, and it is to Cyprus’s credit that it is not being trumpeted. Our neighbours will always seek balanced relations, including with Turkey, and Cyprus has nothing to gain from framing every development through an anti-Ankara lens.
That the agreement is finally being signed in 2025, once again based on the median line like all other Cypriot maritime agreements, confirms a stable and consistent policy. Cyprus now has delimitation deals with Egypt, Israel and Lebanon, all grounded in the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea, sending a clear message to those who rely on grey-zone tactics.
Equally important is the joint Cyprus–Lebanon submission to the World Bank for a feasibility study on electrical interconnection. This qualitatively upgrades our relationship with Beirut. Similar initiatives with other neighbours -Syria, Israel and Egypt- would deepen Cyprus’s regional network. If implemented, such a link could connect to broader East Med–EU corridors, enhancing energy security and elevating Cyprus’s geopolitical value as the EU’s frontline hub in its immediate neighbourhood.
Just weeks before Cyprus assumes the presidency of the Council of the EU, Nicosia is using the Lebanon deal to reinforce its role as a conduit between the European Union and the Middle East. If this strategy continues consistently -across energy, infrastructure, security and EU–Lebanon relations- Cyprus will demonstrate that investing in its neighbourhood is not a slogan but its most effective insurance policy in a turbulent region.