A key priority of the Cyprus EU Presidency will be advancing the European Union’s enlargement agenda including for the Western Balkans, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Tuesday, speaking at a joint press conference with the Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenkovic, after their meeting in Zagreb.
Noting that his visit is the first bilateral visit by a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Croatia in nearly two decades, he said that it takes also place in the framework to outreach EU member states in view of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in just 70 days.
“Therefore, my visit provided a very valuable opportunity for coordination and discussion in key issues, key issues expected to feature prominently on the European agenda during the first half of 2026. I assure the Prime Minister that during our Presidency, Cyprus will act as an honest broker, working to advance European integration, strategic autonomy, and of course, unity” he noted, according to a press release issued by the Presidency.
A key priority of the Cyprus EU Presidency, he went on to say, will also be advancing the European Union’s enlargement agenda including for the Western Balkans.
“Cyprus remains a firm supporter of the European Union’s open-door policy based of course on merit and the fulfilment of the established criteria. We believe that enlargement is a strategic investment in peace, stability, and prosperity for the entire continent, and in this context we will work to maintain momentum in the accession process of candidate countries and ensure that enlargement remains high on the European Union’s agenda,” he pointed out.
Regarding Ukraine and the Middle East, President Christodoulides said that they reaffirmed their commitment to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to promoting peace efforts in the Middle East.
Reinforcing the European Union’s relationship with the wider Middle East will also be “one of the priorities of our presidency, the President of Cyprus said, adding that the new pact for the Mediterranean marks a historic positive step forward, a change to reinvigorate our relations with southern neighbourhood partners with tangible projects that promote connectivity, sustainability, and regional stability”.
“And as Presidency, Cyprus will place the implementation of the pact high on the European Union’s agenda, and to this end we also aim to host a meeting next April with the participation of leaders from both the European Union and the broader Middle East,” he stressed.
He also had, as he said, the opportunity to brief the Prime Minister on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem and to express Nicosia’s “sincere appreciation for Croatia’s long-standing stance and its continued support for a comprehensive and lasting solution of the Cyprus problem, always in line with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and, of course, the values, the principles and the laws of the European Union”.
Referring to the two countries’ bilateral ties, the President of Cyprus said that one particularly promising area for further collaboration is defence, especially in light of their shared vision to enhance the European Union’s strategic autonomy.
“And the upcoming Memorandum of Cooperation in Security and Defence, which we expect to sign soon, will provide the framework for a more structured and enhanced collaboration in this field,” he added.
Replying to a question on what could the EU leaders do, in view of the Budapest meeting between the Presidents of the USA and Russia, to maintain unity with the US in seeking a solution for Ukraine and at the same time avoid a bad deal for Ukraine, the President of the Republic said that “we welcome any initiative that will end the foreign invasion and occupation of Ukraine”.
“We welcome any initiative of the United States, as we did with President Trump’s 20 points plan for the Middle East and actually Cyprus is working for the implementation of the plan. In order to have a successful outcome in Budapest between President Trump and President Putin, I think if they are going to discuss Ukraine, the President of Ukraine should be present because no agreement can be reached without the presence of the country that is directly influenced, the country that is under occupation,” he concluded.
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.