Cyprus seeks to act as a steady, reliable and predictable bridge between the European Union and the wider region of the Middle East and the Gulf, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides stressed in a speech in the University of Maastricht, adding that this role can be further strengthened by putting an end to the illegal occupation and by reunifying Cyprus.
In his speech, entitled “Cyprus and the European Project: Bridging Europe and the Middle East on the Path to Strategic Autonomy’, President Christodoulides said that Europe’s future must be a more United, Stronger, Ambitious and Strategically Autonomous Union.
Turbulent times, he noted, are also an opportunity for our Union to stand out as Reliable, Predictable and Trustworthy partner and to move ambitiously and decisively for a European Union that is truly autonomous.
“A Union that looks Outward. Engages with all its neighbours in a 360-degree approach. A Union that remains more committed than ever to open trade and fruitful partnerships, while strengthening its strategic autonomy yet without turning inward. A Union, committed to international law, able to bring in synergy its interests and its principles” he pointed out.
In Cyprus, he went on to say, -at the edge of the European continent and at the crosspoint of history, conflict and opportunity- we firmly believe in a Strategically Autonomous Union.
By navigating all these challenges, one conclusion has become increasingly clear, he said, that Europe needs to be equipped to navigate through the new geopolitical reality.
In order, he added, to be serious about Strategic Autonomy, we must look beyond our history and beyond our borders. We need to engage more actively with our neighbourhoods, and turn proximity into partnership.
“And it is precisely in this area that my country can offer solutions and contribute decisively” the President said, noting that the challenges of the Middle East and the Gulf are Europe’s challenges too.
Referring to Cyprus’ geographical position, he said that it gives us a unique perspective of the region. “Cyprus understands the Middle East, not from textbooks, nor from reporting, but through proximity and decades of diplomatic engagement”.
This is a region, he said, of frequent conflict and also of unimaginable opportunity.
“It is why Cyprus seeks to act as a steady, reliable and predictable bridge between the European Union and the wider region of the Middle East and the Gulf, between Europe and its Southern neighbourhood”.
He recalled that throughout the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU Nicosia worked to strengthen this regional dimension.
The President also referred to Cyprus’ regional role in times of emergency. “Our infrastructure and our resources, have been made available in order to facilitate safe passage for people in danger. In the last three years alone, we helped evacuate thousands of citizens from 70 different countries”.
He also stressed the need of cooperation and referred to climate change and Cyprus Regional Initiative on Climate Change that brings together countries of the region, thus strengthening the collective capacity for adaptation, mitigation and resilience.
Another example of regional engagement, he added, is the Cyprus Regional Aerial Firefighting Station, as well as the Cyprus Center for Land, Open Seas and Port Security, jointly created with the United States. “In its four years of operation, it has provided specialized training to thousands of government officials from more than 50 countries, from the Middle East, Africa, Central Asia, and Europe” he pointed out.
“These initiatives may address very different challenges -climate change, security, and civil protection- but they embody the same principle: Cyprus can turn its unique geographical position into a force for European cooperation and regional resilience, while strengthening the Strategic Autonomy of the EU” the President said.
Stressing that “and this role of my country can be further strengthened by putting an end to the illegal occupation and by reunifying Cyprus” he recalled that “unfortunately, fifty-two years after the Turkish invasion, more than a third of the territory of Cyprus -European territory- remains under foreign military occupation. Twenty-two years after joining the EU, Cyprus continues to fight for the rights that every European citizen takes for granted”.
At the same time, he continued, “our European membership is our strongest asset in our effort to achieve a sustainable and viable solution to the Cyprus problem and reunite our country. A solution that safeguards the reunification of the island and its people and upholds the rights and freedoms of all Cypriots -Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Latins and Armenians”.
“A mutually beneficial solution that will enable Cyprus to develop its full capacities” he stressed.
Referring to developments in the region, the President of Cyprus said that they are certainly deeply unsettling, “but they also remind us of something equally important: Europe cannot choose the moment in which it must Lead. Leadership is required precisely when circumstances are most difficult. And the time for the Union to lead is now”.
Noting that the future of Europe will not be shaped only in European capitals or institutions, he said that it “will also be shaped here, in our universities, in our classrooms and, most importantly, by you. The generation that will inherit and shape the Europe of tomorrow”.
“It is our responsibility – and yours – to decide what Europe can become next. My answer is a more United, Stronger, Ambitious and Strategically Autonomous Union” the Cypriot President concluded.