Nicosia: Heads of European institutions, leaders, and representatives of states and governments, as well as representatives of various organizations and bodies, will attend the opening ceremony of the Cyprus EU Presidency at the Cyprus Theatre Organization building in Nicosia at 6:30 pm Wednesday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the ceremony will be attended by numerous notable figures, including the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, and the President of the European Court of Auditors Tony Murphy. Also present will be the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu, the President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid, the President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States Ahmed Aboul Gheit, and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi. Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, and the United Arab Emirates will be represented at a ministerial level.
The ceremony will feature speeches followed by an artistic performance in three acts, directed by Costas Silvestros. The performance, titled 'MEMORY - PRESENT - FUTURE,' will integrate music, dance, theater, image, poetry, and digital technologies to narrate the history of Cyprus through the centuries and highlight its culture as an integral part of European civilization. Over 100 Cypriot artists and cultural professionals have contributed to this performance.
The event will be broadcast live by public broadcaster CyBC 1 and CyBC HD, as well as EBS. Following the ceremony, President Nikos Christodoulides will host an official dinner for the heads of the 14 official delegations at the Leventis Gallery.
Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, assumed the EU Council Presidency for the second time on January 1st.