President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday took part in a teleconference headed by the European Council President Charles Michel along with several other EU heads of state.
The virtual meeting was organised in preparation for the forthcoming European Council meeting in Brussels on March 23 and 24, the first for Christodoulides since becoming president.
During the meeting, Christodoulides reiterated Cyprus’ commitment to adhere to the EU principles and values.
Referring to his previous meeting with UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the president underlined his government’s will to cooperate fully with the EU, in particular on finding possible solutions leading to a resumption of the Cyprus talks.
Christodoulides also reaffirmed Cyprus’ support for Ukraine, stressing that Cyprus, as a country experiencing an invasion and an ongoing occupation, strongly supports the need to respect international legitimacy.
With regard to the economy, he said Cyprus agrees on the EU proposal to reduce debts in the medium term through an approach that takes into account the specificities of each member state, calling for international transparency and cooperation.
He also agreed on another EU proposal, urging for a reform of the electricity market. Christodoulides called it crucial for Cyprus due to its peripheral location, which makes energy interconnections a necessity.
Finally, he talked about Cyprus’ struggle to contain the migratory wave, adding that six per cent of the country’s population currently consists of asylum seekers and that the majority of illegal migrants make their way into the island through the north.
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