Christodoulides: Cyprus–Greece bond “unbreakable”

Cyprus and Greece stand side by side amid contemporary challenges and the ongoing aggressive Turkish posture, President Nikos Christodoulides told the Greek political leadership on Thursday.

“In this great effort to rid ourselves of the bonds of occupation, we never feel alone,” Christodoulides said in an address to the Greek parliament.

“We have the support of Greece first and foremost, Greece which remains our most consistent and selfless ally,” he noted.

Addressing Greece’s Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and Greek MPs, the president delivered a gushing speech – even harkening to the ancient Greek historian Herodotus and figures from the 1821 Greek revolution in a pitch underlining the shared values and identity of the two nations.

Earlier, the office of the presidency described Christodoulides’ appearance at the Greek parliament as “historic” – recalling that the last appearance by a Cypriot head of state took place in 2010, on the occasion of the 50^th anniversary since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.

Christodoulides expressed gratitude to the Greek soldiers who fell in defence of Cyprus in 1974.

“They held up high the banner of dignity and attained a place in the pantheon of the immortals, along with Leonidas, Kolokotronis, Pallikaridis, Afxentiou and many others…”

The president went on to censure Turkey for its invasion and ongoing occupation of a third of the island.

He said Turkey continues to illegally flood the north with settlers, altering the demographic character of Cyprus.

The Cypriot government, he went on, has a popular mandate to “liberate and reunify the country”.

To this end, “we are working tirelessly to create the conditions for a resumption of negotiations for a comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus problem, based on the agreed UN framework, the negotiated acquis, and of course the principles, values and law of the EU.”

Thanks to these efforts, he claimed, the UN has shown a renewed interest in the Cyprus issue. This was a challenge, given that in recent years the international community has been preoccupied with the war in Ukraine and the conflicts in the Middle East.

“From this historic podium, and in the most official manner, I want to stress that for us the two-state solution does not exist even as a thought. We shall never agree to discuss the legitimisation of the illegality.

“We envision a future where Cyprus is reunified from end to end: from the Cape of Apostolos Andreas to the suffering Tyllyria, and from Kyrenia to Limassol and Famagusta.”

The president next spoke on Cyprus’ entry into the EU in 2004, calling it the greatest diplomatic achievement since independence.

Twenty-two years later, he said, Cyprus has grown into a mature member of the bloc, “a creative partner with a decisive contribution to European affairs”.

Turning to the present day, Christodoulides referenced the EU’s stated drive to achieve strategic autonomy.

This was essential to ongoing EU integration, “for a union that is autonomous, independent and powerful, able to protect its citizens, its borders and its interests.

“And it is for this Europe that we strive for as the Cypriot presidency”.

Citing the recent drone strike at RAF Akrotiri, the president thanked the Greek government for swiftly responding to Cyprus’ request to boost its “defence adequacy”.

He said this should put to rest the notion that “Cyprus lies far from Greece”.

Cyprus-Greece relations have never been better, the president claimed.

Moving on, he referenced the solid performance of the Cypriot economy, boasting a growth rate of three per cent – the highest in the EU.

“From this space which carries a historic gravitas and powerful symbolism,” he went on, “I’d like to send all Greeks across the globe the optimistic message that Cyprus and Greece are together walking the path to progress, prosperity, growth and security, with the certainty that the coming days will be even better.”