The President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, said, on Tuesday 13 June in Strasbourg, that he hoped the interinstitutional negotiations between the Council of the European Union and the European Parliament on the Pact on Migration and Asylum would make rapid progress, noting the “many concessions” that were necessary for the Member States to reach a political agreement (see EUROPE 13197/1).
“For the Pact to work, it is imperative to maintain the balance between solidarity and the principle of responsibility, and to keep working hard on the external aspects of migration, so as to reduce irregular flows”, stressed Mr Christodoulides.
He indicated that his country was prepared both to improve reception facilities for migrants and to increase the number of returns of people unable to benefit from protection in the EU. He pointed out that Cyprus is the EU country that receives the highest number of asylum applications in relation to the size of its population. And the military occupation of 7% of Cypriot territory is “an aggravating factor” that complicates the orderly management of migratory flows, since “more than 90%” of asylum seekers arrive on the island from Turkey, he added.
In this context, he welcomed the European Commission’s preparation of an action plan on the migratory route in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Mr Christodoulides has repeatedly stressed his country’s commitment to the unity of the European Union in order to meet the challenges it faces, such as the energy crisis and the consequences of Russian military aggression in Ukraine.
“It is not our choice but our duty to work for a Union that becomes stronger every day, through the development of its institutions” and by attributing more powers to the European level, he said.
On the subject of energy, the Cypriot President praised the strengths of his country, the only one in the Eastern Mediterranean to have confirmed gas reserves. “We can play a key role in our joint efforts to address the energy crisis, by providing a reliable, alternative energy corridor to Europe, comprising diverse sources and routes”, he said. And he mentioned possible synergies with the major energy groups to bring gas to the EU in the near future, and hydrogen in a few years’ time.
From a geopolitical point of view, Mr Christodoulides described his country as an anchor of stability in a turbulent region undergoing rapid transformation. He called on the EU to respond firmly by dissuading “potential spoilers” from further provocations that would destabilise the region, and by involving them in the search for peaceful solutions based on international law.
In the first half of 2026, the Cypriot Presidency of the EU Council will take “substantial political initiatives” to increase cooperation in the Mediterranean, a region in which the EU has not invested enough, he said.
On the question of the partition of the island, the Cypriot President urged the EU to become more involved in the search for a political solution, “in complementarity” with the efforts being made under the auspices of the United Nations. In his view, the EU can make a difference by appointing a Special Representative for Cyprus and using all the instruments at its disposal in its bilateral relations with Ankara to facilitate the resumption of talks with the Turkish Cypriot side.
“I am ready to discuss a gradual and beneficial package for everybody, within the framework of the EU-Turkish relations, which will evolve in parallel with the negotiations”, emphasised Mr Christodoulides. “Forty-nine years of occupation and partition in the heart of Europe is a very long time”, he insisted.
On a visit to the northern part of the island on Monday, the recently re-elected Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, defended a two-state solution in Cyprus (see EUROPE 13199/26).
To see the speech by the President of Cyprus: https://aeur.eu/f/7g2 (Original version in French by Mathieu Bion)