Nicosia: Cyprus’ President Nikos Christodoulides and Greece’s Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, reaffirmed their commitment to establishing intergovernmental summits during the 2nd Cyprus-Greece Intergovernmental Summit, held in Nicosia. The leaders emphasized that these summits would contribute to ensuring stability in the Eastern Mediterranean and further bolster bilateral cooperation between the two countries.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the leaders also addressed the Cyprus problem within the framework of the United Nations. They welcomed recent developments, such as the dinner hosted by the UN Secretary-General in New York on October 15, and his plans to convene a multilateral conference in the near future. Both leaders reiterated that any solution to the Cyprus issue must be based on UN Security Council resolutions and expressed hope that Turkey would play a constructive role in resuming talks within the agreed framework, aligning with the European Council’s conclusions from April 17-18.
The s
ummit focused on cooperation to enhance the daily lives and quality of life for citizens of both countries. It was decided to expand cooperation into new areas, such as labor and social policy, complementing existing partnerships in education and health. In the defense sector, discussions included establishing a Political Consultation and Interoperability Body.
President Christodoulides and Prime Minister Mitsotakis co-chaired the summit, which included relevant ministers and deputy ministers from both countries, covering areas such as foreign policy, defense, energy, environment, health, education, culture, digital policy, labor, social security, justice, and economic coordination.
In energy discussions, significant progress was noted in advancing the Cyprus-Crete electricity interconnection project, known as the Great Sea Interconnector. A Framework of Understanding was signed between the respective ministries, and future steps were outlined. There was satisfaction over international investment interest i
n the project, and it was decided to enhance cooperation in competitive market operations, natural gas, and renewable energy sources.
The leaders also expressed satisfaction with the repatriation cooperation of citizens from Lebanon last October. Other topics of discussion included education, healthcare, labor and social insurance, digital policy, environmental and climate change issues, civil protection, justice, anti-corruption efforts, public administration, research and development, shipping, and cultural collaboration.
It was agreed that the next intergovernmental summit will be held in Greece in 2025. Cyprus remains divided since 1974 following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third, with numerous UN-led peace talks failing to deliver results. The last negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana concluded without success.