President, Nikos Christodoulides, and Minister of Foreign Affairs and Emigrants of Lebanon, Youssef Raggi discussed the close ties between Cyprus and Lebanon during a meeting at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, with Raggi expressing his heartfelt gratitude for the assistance provided by Cyprus to his country, as well as to President Christodoulides personally, noting in particular, ‘We thank you personally and the Republic of Cyprus for everything you are doing for us. We know what you are doing for us.’
President Christodoulides said that Raggi’s acceptance of the invitation to address the heads of the Republic’s diplomatic missions at their conference ‘is a clear indication of the importance we attach to Lebanon.’
He added that Lebanon’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are a priority for Cyprus, just as they are for Lebanon.
He also referred to the close, friendly relations he maintains with Lebanon’s President, noting their frequent telephone conversations to coordinate actions aimed at strengthening bilateral relations, which, as he said, there is the political will to strengthen even further.
He added that ‘within the framework of our membership in the EU, we are committed to and will succeed, in initiating negotiations for a comprehensive strategic agreement between the EU and Lebanon, just as we did with our initiative regarding Jordan and Egypt.”
President Christodoulides noted that he has spoken with the President of the Commission several times, adding that “I have sent her a letter regarding the need to move forward as soon as possible, and in fact, when I visited Lebanon with the President of the Commission in 2024-it was the first time she had visited Lebanon as President of the European Commission.’
He noted that ‘Cyprus, within the EU, will do everything in its power to strengthen relations between the EU and Lebanon.’
For his part, the Lebanese Foreign Minister said that he was conveying the warm greetings of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, who considers President Christodoulides ‘a very good, close friend.’ He added, ‘we thank you personally and the Republic of Cyprus for everything you are doing for us. We know what you are doing for us.’
Referring to Cyprus EU Council Presidency at the first half of this year, Raggi congratulated the President, noting that ‘you have left your personal mark and exerted your considerable influence, and this has been to the benefit of Europe and the Mediterranean.”
“We thank you very much for what you are doing for us as Cyprus and, through you, as the EU,’ he added.
In statements about the meeting afterwards, Government Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that relations between the Republic of Cyprus and Lebanon, particularly in recent years, ‘are closer than ever before, especially since President Aoun took office.’
Letymbiotis stressed that Cyprus has consistently stood by Lebanon, particularly during this period, in all the fora in which it participates, within the European Union or at the United Nations level, ‘we have taken the lead in ensuring security and stability in Lebanon,’ he said.
He also pointed out that, beyond mere assistance and financial support the Republic of Cyprus has demonstrated in practice its support for the neighbouring country, ‘for a very close partner, which is Lebanon.’
He also said that ‘we have conveyed the message that, wherever and to the extent that our own capabilities allow, our priority is regional security, a crucial aspect of which is, of course, the security and stability of Lebanon.’