Cyprus’ Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Latvian counterpart, Baiba Braze, said Wednesday after a meeting in Nicosia that they identified opportunities to further deepen cooperation in the fields of security, defence, technology and the maritime sector. Kombos said bilateral relations ‘remain strong’ because the two countries have the same values and principles, ‘which, of course, are about our joint and mutual commitment to international law and to the UN Charter’.
Braze, whose country will start in January its two-year term as a non-permanent member of the UN Security Council, said Riga will be supporting Cyprus throughout the next steps and whenever the relevant resolutions are discussed.
In statements after their meeting at the Foreign Ministry, Kombos said they covered a number of issues such as bilateral relations.
He said President Nikos Christodoulides’ visit to Riga last June – the first visit of a Cypriot President there – provides the incentive ‘for advancing further our shared agenda’.
‘During our discussions, we identified opportunities to deepen further our cooperation, especially in the fields of security, defence, and the maritime sector. And, of course, to broaden further the progress that we have already witnessed in tourism and, in general, in relation to connectivity, education, and culture’, Kombos said. He added that ‘the potential exists, and so does the political will to fulfil that potential’.
He also said that he informed his Latvian counterpart about Cyprus’ priorities for the Presidency of the Council of the EU. ‘Unquestionably, the focus will remain on the situation in Ukraine’, he said, reiterating Nicosia’s ‘full support for Ukraine and its territorial integrity and sovereignty’.
For Cyprus, he said, the position in relation to what’s been happening there is dictated not only by principle, but also by historical experience. Kombos said that the Republic of Cyprus is the victim of an invasion and of ongoing occupation by Turkey for the last 51 years. ‘Supporting Ukraine cannot but be coupled by supporting also the victims of aggression like Cyprus, even more so from the European Union and from member states’, he added.
He also said that the Cyprus Presidency will also be focusing on furthering the engagement with the Middle East region, ‘not only because of the plethora of crises that we are facing, and which could at any moment become a source of further instability, but also because we see the region and the wider area as a possibility, as an area of opportunity, whether that’s in relation to free trade, energy, connectivity’.
Nicosia will also be focusing on the enlargement process, ‘always within the context of merit and strict conditionality’, he said.
Kombos said that he also discussed with his Latvian counterpart ‘the importance of intensifying pressure on Russia through sanctions’. He also stressed that Cyprus’ position is that ‘we need to focus even more on circumvention of sanctions, especially because that has many actors involved and it’s undermining our collective effort in relation to our support of Ukraine’.
In relation to the Cyprus issue, he thanked his colleague and the government of Latvia for their consistent support towards the principled position in relation to the Cyprus problem. He added that Nicosia was guided by the Security Council Resolutions on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality as prescribed by the relevant UN Security Council Resolution.
‘This is the only option, and it’s a very important point, given the fact that Latvia will be on the Security Council very, very soon’, he said.
On the situation in Gaza, he said that they agree ‘that the European Union can and needs to play a much more active role’. In relation to Syria, he said this was also ‘very important for the Republic of Cyprus’ not only because of geographical proximity. He referred to the need for ‘good neighbourly relations’, which, he said, necessitates that all parties agree to the fundamental principle of respecting international law, including all its manifestations.
He said he also briefed the Latvian Minister on migration, noting that despite the improved situation in Cyprus, it was important to remain alert ‘about any possible changes’. He said that this is a threat faced in different geographical parts of Europe and referred to the instrumentalization of migration.
The Latvian Foreign Minister, who invited Kombos to visit Latvia, said that they covered bilateral, EU priorities, part of the Security Council agenda and Ukraine.
She said that Latvia will support Cyprus in the UN Security Council whenever the next steps and relevant resolutions are discussed.
‘And we also support the constructive attitude that Cyprus has taken in the reunification issue and the close work with the UN special representative on that, and we are very supportive of a positive outcome’, Braze noted.
She added that both sides acknowledged untapped economic potential, particularly in areas such as maritime security, technology, and the management of ports and marine spaces, highlighting that there is significant scope for further cooperation.
She also said she was ‘pleased’ that Air Baltic, the Latvian national airline, flies to Cyprus throughout the year, noting that the country is ‘a very popular destination for Latvians’.
She also expressed her country’s support in Cyprus joining Schengen, ‘and we are pleased with the progress that we have achieved, so we are ready to share our lessons learned, but also our experience and knowledge and expertise in that’.
The Latvian Foreign Minister said she was in Ukraine last week, and that they reflected with Kombos on the next steps, and how to continue supporting Ukraine in a practical way, but also throughout the negotiations, throughout the way to peace.
Braze also noted that principles such as non-recognition of occupied territories as legally incorporated, and other parts, are very important for the Baltic states, Cyprus but also other countries.
She also referred to the need to support the US efforts to stop Russia’s aggression against Ukraine.
Russian ‘shadow fleet’
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Replying to a question on Russian sanctions and proposals for a price cap on crude exports combined with a blanket ban on maritime services, the Latvian Foreign Minister said Riga has submitted several proposals to the European Commission and EU partners to strengthen sanctions. These focus particularly on the ‘shadow fleet’ and the ecosystem that sustains it – old uninsured vessels, untrained crews, and practices that help Russia bypass the price cap, she noted.
She said Latvia is open to constructive ideas but stressed the need to avoid harming legitimate operators. She added that the issue was also discussed with US counterparts, on ‘how to be more efficient on Russian oil exports’, given that oil and gas remain Russia’s main source of revenue for the war.
Braze noted that Russia’s access to money, technology and international support must be targeted, and that the shadow fleet poses serious risks to Baltic Sea states, as 70% of Russia’s oil shipments pass through the region en route to Asia and other destinations. Latvia therefore tables proposals in every sanctions package, targeting specific services, vessels, and practices used to evade sanctions, she noted.
Kombos noted that it is about efficiency and how to make sure there is a holistic approach.
He said that Nicosia has ‘a very strong opinion about circumvention’. ‘We believe that we need to have more information flow at the Council level, and also not just reporting, but how the Commission is trying to target and resolve these issues that are there’, Kombos said, adding that the approach of dialogue was important but at the same time more transparency was needed before any decisions are taken.