President Nicos Christodoulides said on Thursday that Cyprus will use its geographical location to develop relations between the European Union and the countries of the Middle East during his six-month term as President of the Council of the European Union.
“The Republic of Cyprus will not only continue, but also significantly strengthen its efforts to further strengthen relations between the EU and the countries of the wider Middle East region. We will do this using our geographical location, our political authority and our long—standing knowledge about the peculiarities of the region,” he said.
He added that these traits “represent the advantages of responsibility and added value both for Europe itself and for the region,” before talking about the impact of Wednesday’s opening ceremony of the six-month deadline on these relations.
“A symbolic and significant confirmation of this intention was the simultaneous presence at yesterday’s opening ceremony … of the EU leadership along with a significant number of leaders and representatives of the countries of the region,” he said.
This, he said, “in practice reflects Cyprus’ role as a point of reference and dialogue between Europe and the wider region.”
He then said he was particularly pleased to welcome the EU-Jordan summit in Amman on Thursday, saying it was “being held as a follow-up” to the EU-Egypt summit that took place in Brussels last October.
“These summits confirm the gradual but significant improvement in cooperation between Europe and the region, which we, the Republic of Cyprus, have consistently and faithfully worked towards,” he said.
In this regard, he said that he attaches “special importance” to the joint visit of European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen and European Council President Antonio Costa to Jordan, Syria and Lebanon.
He added that the Government of Cyprus is “committed to developing these structured relationships” during the planned informal meeting of the leaders of the EU member states and neighboring countries, which is scheduled to take place in April.
According to him, this meeting will be accompanied by “tangible and concrete actions on the part of the EU” regarding its relations with the Middle East.
“Cyprus will continue to play an active and responsible role in advancing these efforts, particularly during its presidency of the Council of the European Union, using its institutional position and political authority,” he said.
“Our country has consistently and faithfully contributed to laying the foundation for substantive dialogue and cooperation aimed at stability, security and progress for the benefit of both Europe and the wider region.”
https://russiancyprus.news/news/society/cyprus-to-leverage-geographical-position-to-boost-eu-middle-east-ties/
