The strategic partnership between Cyprus and the UK is “mutually beneficial at all levels and one that goes from strength to strength”, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Wednesday evening, addressing a reception for the birthday of King Charles III.

Speaking at the event at the reception hosted by British high commissioner Michael Tatham, Christodoulides said Cyprus will be assuming the EU rotating presidency in the first half of 2026 and “in this capacity will do its utmost to further advance EU-UK relations.”

The president said Wednesday’s occasion served as an opportunity “to honour the enduring and continuously evolving relationship between Cyprus and the United Kingdom.”

This relationship, he said, was “defined by our shared history, fortified by close, strategic bilateral cooperation and anchored on an unbreakable people-to-people bond.”

“And the latter is precisely the driving force of this unique, strategic partnership – It is a heart that beats with the hundreds of thousands of Cypriots that live and work, that have studied in their most formative years in the United Kingdom, together with the 70,000 British citizens who have embraced Cyprus and made it their home,” he added             .

Christodoulides said “this special relationship knows no limits. It is one that does not forget its past, while it renews its promise for its present and future. Building block by building block, with determination, mutual respect and above all, a common vision and purpose.”

“It is no coincidence that the past nine months have been marked by the historic visit of Prime Minister Starmer to Cyprus last December – the first by a British prime minister in over half a century,” he said.

This visit, he pointed out, “came after my visit to the UK and the meeting with the prime minister, two months earlier in October, and of course our third meeting in less than a year in London this past May.”

“The political commitment is real, the momentum is palpable and the results tangible. This is a strategic partnership that is mutually beneficial at all levels and one that goes from strength to strength,” the president said.

He added that “the renewed momentum in Cyprus-UK relations comes at a moment of a renewed relationship between the European Union and the UK. In May the EU-UK Summit was a milestone as it established a new strategic partnership between two natural, strategic allies.”

“The United Kingdom was and remains an indispensable partner for Europe. Geopolitical developments dictate that to tackle common challenges, challenges that are complex, we must come together. From security to defence, to energy transition and to youth mobility,” the president said.

The summit, he said, “was only the beginning of what is a new chapter in our relations and I am particularly pleased that as we work on bigger, bolder steps, Cyprus will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU on the 1st of January 2026 and in this capacity will do its utmost to further advance EU-UK relations.”

“At the core of the bond between Cyprus and the UK is our common values: respect for international law, democracy, human rights, rule of law. At this juncture of geopolitical turmoil and uncertainty, these values must be our guiding light, our compass,” he said.

Christodoulides said that “in this regard, I would like to reiterate our appreciation for the UK’s support, including in its capacity as a permanent member of the Security Council, to our efforts to resume negotiations for a viable, lasting, comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus issue, firmly anchored on the agreed UN framework.”

“We count on the UK’s continued support to reunify Cyprus and its people, end military occupation by Turkey on European territory. A reunified Cyprus that is truly independent, able to maintain its role as an enabler and provider of security in the Eastern Mediterranean and the greater Middle East,” he explained.

Furthermore, he reiterated his “unwavering commitment […] to exert every possible effort for peace, to strive for a reunified country free of foreign troops and occupations, to create a path for peace through reunification.”

He welcomed the appointment of UN and EU envoys for Cyprus, which he interpreted as “tangible steps that demonstrate commitment to Cyprus and to the resumption of talks,” at a time when “Turkey has proclaimed its desire to come closer to the EU.”