President of the European Council Antonio Costa asked President Nikos Christodoulides on Monday to promote the EU’s priorities during Cyprus’ presidency of the bloc in the first half of 2026, including bringing Europe closer to the Middle East.

Costa, who is in Cyprus on a working visit as part of a tour of European capitals, said “we count on you to put in motion our priorities, such as competitiveness and bringing Europe closer to the Middle East”, adding that “we need to work for peace, for stability and for prosperity in the Mediterranean”.

Christodoulides said “we are ready to take on our responsibility” regarding the EU presidency and its priorities.

“We have the traditional issues of the EU, like the multiannual financial framework, and we need to work on the issues of the cohesion policy and at the same time it should reflect our new priorities, competitiveness, security and defence, migration,” Christodoulides said.

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He added that “for us, as the member state of the EU in the region, it is very important to work with the countries of the region, to bring the countries of the region closer to the EU which have the same challenges, we need to work with them.”

Christodoulides also said Costa’s tour “ahead of our European Council in October is very important and shows at the same time how you approach all member states of the European Union, either small or big member states”.

Costa responded that “all the member states matter and it is very important to build unity among the members states and to talk face to face with the different leaders, take into count all the different priorities, the different point of views, because only working together, only by strengthening our unity, we become stronger.”

“This year is very special because you are preparing your presidency in the first semester of 2026,” he added.

After their private meeting, the two leaders will have a working lunch followed by their statements to the media. 

Costa met earlier on Monday in Athens with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and will now travel to Rome for a meeting with Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni.

On Tuesday, Costa will be in Paris to meet with French President Emmanuel Macron and will then travel to Madrid for a meeting with Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez.

On Wednesday, he will visit Luxembourg to meet with Prime Minister Luc Frieden.

The tour will conclude on Frida in Porto, where Costa will meet with Portuguese Prime Minister Luís Montenegro and attend the Porto Social Forum.

According to the European Council, this tour is part of Costa’s broader effort to strengthen relations and dialogue with EU leaders.