Cyprus has been utilizing its position and building its capabilities around the aim of contributing as a steady, reliable and predictable partner between Europe and the wider Middle East, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides stressed on Wednesday in his remarks at the joint press conference of the leaders of the states of 13th MED9, in Split, Croatia.
In his remarks, President Christodoulides also referred to the Multiannual Financial Framework, saying that there is a clear need to give greater political weigh to the Mediterranean dimension of our EU agenda in practical terms.
He thanked the leaders for “their continued support in our efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, as highlighted again today in the joint declaration we just adopted”. Cyprus, he said, being a member state of the EU coming from the Mediterranean region has the firm belief and the main principle of its foreign policy, that today’s multiple challenges require partnerships and cooperation across regions.
“Cyprus is geographically blessed to be at the crossroads of three continents. And we have been utilizing our position, building our capabilities around the aim of contributing as a steady, reliable and predictable partner between Europe and the wider Middle East” he pointed out.
One such example, he said, “is the devastating humanitarian situation in Gaza, for which we have immediately put forward the Amalthea Maritime Humanitarian Corridor, the only route by an EU Member State, supplementary to the land and air corridors.”
He explained that through this humanitarian corridor, which continues delivering to this day, more than 37 thousand tonnes of aid have reached the civilian population of Gaza. And when conditions permit, Amalthea can also support early recovery in Gaza, he pointed out.
Another example, the President said, is the evacuation of European and third-country nationals from our neighbourhood, during times of crisis.
“We are proud to have evacuated several thousand citizens from 70 different countries, in the last three years” President Christodoulides stressed.
Our commitment, he added, to regional engagement is manifested also through the Cyprus Center for Land, Open Seas and Port Security.
He explained that it was created jointly with the US in 2022, and has already provided specialized training to thousands of officials from almost 60 countries, from Europe, and the region.
“Another challenge, transcending borders, is climate change, which particularly affects the Mediterranean region” he said, adding that “we have put forward the Eastern Mediterranean – Middle East Climate Change Initiative, bringing together countries of our region, in order to strengthen our collective capacity for resilience, adaptation, and mitigation”.
Noting that there are many more examples, he referred to the establishment recently in Cyprus, of the Cyprus Regional Air Fire Fighting Station that brings together countries of the region, an effort done with the support of the European Commission.
With regard to the MFF, he noted that there is a clear need to give greater political weigh to the Mediterranean dimension of our EU agenda in practical terms.
The first and best way to do so, he pointed out, is to give this enhanced EU visibility to the Mediterranean in the next MFF.
“We should ensure adequate funding on issues like Migration and border management, climate resilience and connectivity”.
And this is also the means to turn the Commission’s Pact for the Mediterranean into concrete projects connecting the EU with the region, he stressed.
On the overall balance of the MFF, he recalled that he cosigned the Friends of Cohesion letter, and that “we support the new priorities like competitiveness, defense and security bit not at the expense of cohesion and common agricultural policy”.
At the same time, the President said, the MFF should take into account the specificities of its member states.
“For my country, for Cyprus, this means recognizing the specific constraints linked to our geographic position, exclusion from major European transport and energy networks, absence of critical industrial sectors and our position at the EU’s southeastern frontier” he concluded.