Brussels: The position of the Republic of Cyprus on the SAFE (Security and Defence Fund for Europe) mechanism has been adopted, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Thursday, speaking upon his arrival at the European Council meeting in Brussels. ‘I am pleased that our position regarding the participation of non-EU countries in the SAFE mechanism has been adopted,’ the President said, making clear that ‘no third country that occupies territory or threatens the security of member states can, under any circumstances, participate in or benefit from any EU financial instruments in the field of defence and security.’
According to Cyprus News Agency, the President also referred to the strategic importance of the first-ever EU-Egypt Summit, noting that ‘our country, together with Greece and some other Mediterranean states, has long supported the need for this strategic partnership.’ He added that this cooperation was first materialised with the 2024 visit of the European Commission President to Cairo – in which he also took part – and continued on Wednesday with the inaugural summit.
President Christodoulides noted that the Egyptian President had called for the EU’s active involvement in implementing the US President’s plan for Gaza and added that he had the opportunity to brief on Cyprus’ own plan – ‘a plan developed in coordination with the President of the European Commission, the United Arab Emirates, Egypt, Jordan and Israel.’
The six-point Cypriot proposal was presented to EU counterparts with the hope of being adopted as an EU plan. President Christodoulides also presented the proposal at the European People’s Party (EPP) meeting, noting that it had been prepared in consultation with the Commission President.
When asked about the Gaza plan, he stated that ‘the response was very positive’ from EU partners. During a trilateral meeting between the Presidents of the Commission, the Council and Egypt, the Commission President presented the Cypriot proposals as European proposals. President Christodoulides emphasized the importance of implementing these proposals to prevent a new crisis in the region.
Referring to the upcoming Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the EU, President Christodoulides said that Cyprus aims to transform the Mediterranean Pact into concrete actions for the region. Cyprus’ goal is to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy across various sectors during its Presidency.
On the war in Ukraine and EU sanctions against Russia, President Christodoulides announced that the 19th package of sanctions had been adopted. He mentioned ongoing discussions on replacing energy supplies affected by US sanctions and stressed the effectiveness of the EU sanctions introduced so far.
Lastly, when asked about discussions within the EPP regarding the voting process in the occupied areas of Cyprus, the President clarified that no such discussions took place. He concluded by emphasizing the importance of negotiations to resolve ongoing issues.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Previous UN-led peace talks have failed to yield results, with the latest negotiations in 2017 ending inconclusively.