The Republic of Cyprus has launched an “ambitious” schedule of visits by the President and ministers to other European Union member states, candidate countries and third countries, ahead of assuming the Presidency of the Council of the EU in the first half of 2026, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said on Thursday. He also said that “the Republic of Cyprus places particular emphasis on strengthening its role as a bridge between the EU and the countries of the southern neighbourhood and the Gulf.”
Through this process, he said, the Republic of Cyprus seeks to form a framework of understanding, cooperation and common understanding with its partners, “in view of the increased European and international challenges,” the Spokesperson said in statements to the media after a Council of Ministers meeting.
He noted that the visits would be carried out by President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, and Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, to convey “the vision of the Cyprus Presidency” and the Republic’s “main aspirations.”
Cyprus, he added, sees its EU Presidency “with a sense of responsibility and with the ambition to actively contribute to defining a European path in a critical period of transition.”
He also said that the focus of the contacts will be on “the major issues of the European agenda,” such as the need to strengthen the EU’s strategic autonomy in crucial areas such as defence, energy security, competitiveness and technological innovation, the green and digital transition, the bloc’s institutional and economic preparation for enlargement, migration policy and strengthening the EU’s resilience to geopolitical crises, such as the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the instability in the Middle East.
At the same time, he noted, “the Republic of Cyprus places particular emphasis on strengthening its role as a bridge between the EU and the countries of the southern neighbourhood and the Gulf.” The Cyprus Presidency seeks to highlight the importance of a more strategic, coherent and equal partnership with these countries, especially in light of the common challenges and the need for stability, development and security in the wider Mediterranean region, the Spokesperson said. To this end, he added, the visits schedule will include, in addition to the EU Member States and the candidate countries of the Western Balkans and Eastern Europe, a number of countries in the southern neighbourhood and the Gulf, “where the Republic of Cyprus will seek to further deepen relations both at a bilateral level and in the broader Euro-Mediterranean perspective.”
Letymbiotis also said that the Republic of Cyprus “has the will and the ability to substantively contribute to the formulation of policies with European added value” and that the EU Presidency in 2026 was an opportunity to make Cyprus’ voice heard, to strengthen its presence at the core of European developments and to consolidate its strategic importance as a “bridge” between the EU and the countries of the southern neighbourhood and the Gulf, within a changing geopolitical reality.
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Source: CNA
