Nicosia: Nicosia's initiative regarding the mutual defence clause - Article 42.7 - reflects a Republic of Cyprus that does not remain on the sidelines, but takes a stance, assumes responsibility, and contributes to a Europe that is more prepared, more secure, and more reliable, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Thursday. Discussion on Article 42.7 may constitute one of the most significant legacies of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU Council, he added.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in statements at the Presidential Palace, Letymbiotis noted that, during the informal summit hosted by the Republic of Cyprus, President Nikos Christodoulides raised before European leaders an issue 'that concerns the core of European credibility: how mutual assistance is put into practice when a Member State needs it.'
The President of the Republic's initiative to clarify Article 42.7 of the Treaty on European Union addresses the need for Europe to know, before a crisis, how it will act during a crisis, the Spokesperson added.
Cyprus, he said, identified a gap, backed it with institutional seriousness, raised it at the highest political level, and succeeded in launching a European process for shaping a framework for action.
A provision of the Treaty that for years remained without sufficient operational clarification, the discussion is now moving to the level of implementation, he said, noting that this initiative is already continuing, and has generated political momentum at the European level. And this continuation is the clearest proof of the Republic of Cyprus' influence in shaping the European agenda, he added.
For the Republic of Cyprus, a Member State at the periphery of the Union, in a region of high geopolitical instability, and with part of its territory still under occupation, European security is not an abstract concept, he noted.
President Christodoulides' initiative serves precisely this need: to make the European mutual assistance clause clearer, more structured, and more reliable, the Spokesperson said.
To enable the Union to respond when a Member State requires assistance. To give strategic autonomy substance, process, and capacity for implementation. And precisely for this reason, the discussion on Article 42.7 may constitute one of the most significant legacies of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union, he added.
This is the Cyprus we are working for. A Cyprus that does not merely observe European developments, but co-shapes them, he concluded, noting that the initiative on Article 42.7 demonstrates a Republic of Cyprus that does not remain on the sidelines of major European discussions. It demonstrates a country that takes a stance, assumes responsibility, and contributes to a Europe that is more prepared, more secure, and more reliable.