Cyprus is “in a unique position to be a gateway to Europe”, Deputy Minister of Migration Nicholas Ioannides said on Friday.

Addressing the New York – Eastern Mediterranean Business Summit in Manhattan, he said the island’s infrastructure “can serve as a dominant route through the Eastern Mediterranean”.

He also pointed out that Cyprus will assume the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency in the first half of next year and stressed his government’s willingness to play a bridging role, especially in supporting humanitarian aid and regional security efforts.

In addition, he touched on the matter of Turkey and called for the “3+1” group of states – Cyprus, Greece, Israel, and the United States – to be used as a tool for “reducing instability”.

“The eastern Mediterranean deserves peace, and this can only come through cooperation,” he said.

House foreign affairs committee chairman Harris Georgiades was also present at the summit, and said the eastern Mediterranean is “at a crossroads”, and that it could either “become a centre of cooperation or slip into instability”.

He also emphasised his support for US and Israeli efforts in the region, calling for more backing for cross-border energy projects. 

“If cooperation is strengthened at the political, strategic and energy level,” he said, “the eastern Mediterranean can be transformed from a danger zone into a pillar of growth.”

Greek Deputy Foreign Minister Tasos Chatzivasileiou also touched on the matter of the “3+1” cooperation, saying it constitutes an alignment of “democratic countries that share our values”.

“Turkey is not excluded, but it must accept the realities, including its occupation of northern Cyprus,” he said.

The conference comes in a week when a bill was introduced to the US congress which has among its aims the “strengthening” of the country’s “partnerships with Cyprus”.

Dubbed the ‘Eastern Mediterranean Gateway Act’, the bill was introduced by Brad Schneider, a Democrat from Illinois, who said that if passed, it will “bolster the eastern Mediterranean’s role as a strategic link between India, the Middle East, and Europe”.

“The eastern Mediterranean is emerging as a central hub for energy and infrastructure connecting Europe, the Middle East, and India,” he said, adding that his bill “ensures US diplomacy keeps pace with that transformation, strengthening our partnerships with Greece, Cyprus, Israel, and Egypt”.

Florida Republican Gus Bilirakis, one of the bill’s cosponsors, stressed the importance of the planned ‘India-Middle East-Europe Economic Corridor’ (Imec), saying it is “pivotal for enhancing energy security, fostering economic integration, and strengthening defence cooperation across these regions”.

Cyprus is not a party to the memorandum of understanding regarding the creation of Imec. That memorandum was signed in 2023 at a G20 summit in New Delhi by India, the US, Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, the European Union, France, Germany and Italy.

Schneider said the bill “reinforces support for Imec and regional initiatives, including the 3+1 dialogue with Greece, Israel, and Cyprus, and the Eastern Mediterranean gas forum”.

He added that the bill, if passed, will “elevate the eastern Mediterranean in US foreign policy”, “support cross-border infrastructure projects and energy interconnectors”, and “evaluate multilateral models like Cyprus’ Cyclops centre for regional coordination”.