Greece’s Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis reaffirmed on Friday that Cyprus remains a core and enduring priority of Greek foreign policy, stressing Athens’ full political and diplomatic backing for the Republic of Cyprus at a time when, he said, it is facing hybrid threats.
Speaking in the Hellenic Parliament, Gerapetritis said Greece ‘stands firmly alongside Cyprus,’ underscoring that support for the island has never wavered and will not be compromised. He noted that Athens continues to actively back United Nations-led efforts for a just and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on UN Security Council resolutions.
‘Cyprus has always been the most important pillar of our foreign policy. It is an immediate and major national priority, and it will never be abandoned,’ Gerapetritis said, adding that informal talks on the Cyprus issue, which had stalled after the collapse of negotiations at Crans-Montana, have resumed during the current term and are already yielding results.
The Greek Foreign Minister also stressed the strategic importance of the planned electricity interconnection between Greece and Cyprus, describing it as a project of major geopolitical and energy significance. He said the interconnector would help lift Cyprus’ energy isolation and contribute to regional stability, stressing that Greece supports the project ‘fully and without any reservations.’
Gerapetritis also said he would travel to Nicosia on Saturday to attend the funeral of former Cypriot president Giorgos Vassiliou, whom he described as a ‘significant political figure who left a strong legacy.’ On Sunday, he added, he will visit Egypt for a trilateral meeting with the foreign ministers of Cyprus and Egypt.
Gerapetritis reiterated that Greece will continue to place Cyprus at the top of its foreign policy agenda, particularly as the island faces what he described as a hybrid attack linked, among other factors, to its current presidency of the Council of the EU.
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 due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
In 2025 the Secretary-General hosted two informal meetings on Cyprus, in March in Geneva and in July in New York, while a tripartite meeting with the Cyprus leaders was also held in late September, at the end of the UN General Assembly High Level Week.