President Nikos Christodoulides’ invite to Monday’s summit in Egypt on the future of Gaza is a “clear recognition of our country’s upgraded role as a reliable interlocutor and a bridge of cooperation between Europe and the Middle East”, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Monday.

“The Republic of Cyprus is among the European states which were jointly invited by President Trump and President Sisi” of the United States and Egypt respectively, Letymbiotis said, adding that “this fact confirms the international appreciation for the contribution of Cyprus to regional humanitarian and diplomatic initiatives”.

On this point, he highlighted the Amalthea maritime humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza, before saying that Christodoulides’ attendance of the summit on Monday will “underline the Republic of Cyprus’ coherent and responsible foreign policy”.

This foreign policy, he added, “has strengthened the country’s diplomatic footprint internationally, through the building of relationships of trust and consistency”.

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The summit is expected to begin with a signing ceremony of the agreement to end the conflict in Gaza at 3.05pm, before a wider meeting will take place during the afternoon.

Alongside Donald Trump and Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Christodoulides will be joined at the meeting by the heads of government of Greece, Turkey, the United Kingdom, France, Germany, India, Pakistan, and other countries, as well as representatives of the European Union and the United Nations.

On Sunday, Christodoulides had described his invite to the summit as a “recognition of the role of the Republic of Cyprus in the region” and a recognition of “what we have done all this time”.

At the same time, he said, the invitation is “an indication of what is expected of us by the international community”.

Looking ahead to the summit itself, he said Cyprus has “a specific plan which we will develop … in relation to the reconstruction of Gaza”.

“We want Cypriot companies to have a role in the reconstruction of the country, we want the Republic of Cyprus to have a role in security issues, all those which fall within what has been agreed, especially in the first phase of the agreement,” he said.

Monday’s summit will come as a ceasefire between the State of Israel and Hamas continues to hold, as the two sides and the international community attempt to reconcile, with the aim of bringing to an end the conflict which broke out in the region in October 2023, based on a plan drawn up by United States President Donald Trump.

The plan entails the creation of a “temporary transitional governance of a technocratic, apolitical Palestinian committee, responsible for delivering the day-to-day running of public services and municipalities for the people of Gaza”, thus ensuring that Hamas’ control of the strip is brought to an end.

The committee would be made up of “qualified Palestinians and international experts”, and overseen by a “board of peace” to be headed by Trump himself, with former British prime minister Tony Blair said to be a candidate for the board.

Under the plan, Gaza would be declared a “deradicalised terror-free zone which does not pose a threat to its neighbours”, and be “redeveloped for the people of Gaza, who have suffered more than enough”.

It also stipulates that once the plan is accepted, “full aid will immediately be sent” to Gaza, while infrastructure including water, electricity, and sewage would be “rehabilitated”, and the “necessary equipment” would be allowed to enter the strip to “remove rubble and open roads”.

Additionally, it stipulates that “an interfaith dialogue process will be established based on the values of tolerance and peaceful coexistence to try and change mindsets and narratives of Palestinians and Israelis by emphasising the benefits which can be derived from peace”.

It adds that the US government will “establish a dialogue between Israel and the Palestinians to agree on a political horizon for peaceful and prosperous coexistence”.