President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has stressed that countries that violate in any way the sovereignty and territorial integrity of EU member states can not participate in the Security Action for Europe (SAFE) instrument.
The President participated on Wednesday in the informal European Council Summit in Copenhagen and on Thursday in the Summit of the European Political Community. In the context of the consultations, the President of the Republic stressed three key points, firstly the principle that countries that violate the sovereignty or territorial integrity of EU Member States cannot participate in the SAFE instrument. Secondly, he supported the strengthening of cooperation between the EU and NATO, without imposing restrictions on the 27 Member States, ensuring Europe’s independence in matters of defence. Thirdly, he stressed the need for a comprehensive strategy, where the EU will not focus only on Ukraine, but will also have a leading role in other regions, such as the Middle East, strengthening Cyprus’ defence infrastructure.
According to a press release by the Presidency, in statements upon his arrival at the European Political Community Summit in Copenhagen, President Christodoulides said that they held a very interesting and constructive discussion yesterday, starting with the issues of defence and security, noting that significant work was done by the previous Presidencies, both the Polish and the Danish Presidency.”
Referring to the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, President Christodoulides noted that the Republic of Cyprus will institutionally further promote the issue and added that it is important that the European Union has moved forward with concrete actions.
“This is also a priority of our Presidency. So, institutionally, we will further strengthen the EU’s efforts’, he went on to say.
Regarding the SAFE instrument, the President stressed that at the national level, the goal of strengthening the defence and security of the Republic of Cyprus, the deterrent power of the Republic of Cyprus is a key priority. “And within this framework our country will utilize both the SAFE instrument, for which an amount exceeding one billion euro has been determined for the Republic of Cyprus, as well as other collaborations that we have with strategic partners, such as the USA.’
Within this framework, he added, ‘we will work to strengthen the very good, promising Cypriot defence industry, which has enormous prospects for cooperation with both EU member states and countries in the region”.
He noted that it was within this framework that they have decided that the purchase of armament programs of the Republic of Cyprus must also require the participation of Cypriot defence industries at a rate of at least 15%.
‘In the discussions, we raised three issues for which there is a general understanding among the member states. Firstly, countries that violate in any way the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states of the European Union cannot participate in the SAFE instrument and benefit from the financial resources of the European Union’, he stressed.
The second issue, he continued, is the cooperation between the European Union and NATO, that the Republic of Cyprus supports, but without any restrictions for the 27 Member States of the European Union.
The third issue, he noted, is the need for the European Union to have an overall perspective and explained that the issues of Ukraine are particularly important, but at the same time in the defence and security field in particular, the EU should be a protagonist in other regions as well. He went on to say that he made a specific reference to the wider Middle East, but also to the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus to strengthen both the Andreas Papandreou Air Base and the naval base in Mari, in Cyprus.
As regards the Naval Base in Mari, the President said that he held a discussion with the President of the European Investment Bank who was in Cyprus recently.
He welcomed the fact that the EIB has included issues related to defence and security for financial support of EU member states.
Referring to the meeting he had with the NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte, the President said that they discussed EU-NATO relations adding that the NATO official asked to be informed about the latest developments in the Cyprus issue.
‘We discussed the issue of the participation of NATO member states in the European Union’s SAFE instrument and I reiterated the common position of the European Union that NATO member states that violate the sovereignty and territorial integrity of member states cannot in any way benefit from this specific instrument” he said.
President Christodoulides added that with regard to Turkey, it is up to Ankara to participate in the SAFE instrument provided that there are positive, specific developments in the Cyprus issue, noting that it is up to Turkey to take the next steps.
Concluding, he said that in the context of the Cyprus Presidency of the EU, that will begin in January 2026, he will have meetings with heads of government, specifically of Ukraine, Moldova and other states, who have requested to advance issues related to their relations with the European Union.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.