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Honourable Madam, President of
the European Parliament,
Distinguished Members of the
European Parliament,
First of
all, I would like to thank the President of the European Parliament for her
kind invitation to be here today, more than three months after assuming the
Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, to speak before the European
Parliament, before all of you, about how I envision the present and the
future of our Union. The present and future of our European citizens and
about my belief as to how we can face together common challenges and further
develop the Union for a brighter future.
This
emblematic Chamber of the European Parliament, here in Strasbourg, is very
familiar to me. And perhaps it is this earlier close relation and synergy
with the European Parliament, which creates in me today feelings of emotion
and primarily a feeling of responsibility, now that my presence here is in
the capacity of Head of State, and as member of the European Council.
I am
greatly honoured to address you, the elected representatives of the European
citizens, here at the very heart of European democracy. It is an honour that
entails a sense of ‘debt’ because I know first hand your decisive role, in
terms of the quality of life across our 27 countries, but also in the
prospect of welfare, peace and security of the planet.
Ladies
and gentlemen,
I firmly
believe that the creation of the European Union is the most important
collective achievement in our continent since the Enlightenment era. The
political vision of the eminent men and women for uniting our continent
through the creation of the EU institutions to establish peace and guarantee
the prosperity and security of its peoples, is as relevant today as ever.
At the
same time, I also believe that the work of these great men and women who set
course has not been completed. But this work is on a constant evolutionary
path and is now in our own hands.
The
edifice that has been handed over to us must be treated as a legacy and an
achievement that we must strengthen, and this requires vision, courage and
determination. It is not our choice but our duty to work for a Union that
becomes stronger every day, through the development of its institutions, with
more common policies, with its Member States delegating an even greater part
of their national sovereignty to common supranational institutions, with the
aim of well-being, peace, security and perspective for every citizen,
regardless of the country or region in which he or she lives.
Ladies
and gentlemen,
I truly
believe that the European Union is the greatest model of peace and prosperity
after a horrible first half of the 20th century that has claimed
the lives of millions of people on our continent. I am fully aware, as a
current European leader, that we have a duty to develop this model of peace
that we inherited from the great visionaries Schuman, Monet, Altiero
Spinelli, Paul-Henri Spaak and Simone Vale. I am an advocate and a believer
of a targeted, step-by-step process, aimed at building an EU with purely
federal characteristics. This is dictated by our collective interest in
today’s difficult and ever-changing globalised international context, where
challenges are common and therefore require a common and effective response.
As EU
Member States, it is not enough to look forward to how to survive in today’s
international context with its intense geopolitical competitions. We need to
create the preconditions to be protagonists. United in our diversity and utilizing
our strong human potential, sharing our common principles and values, on
which our European edifice is firmly founded. I am convinced that we can make
the EU a protagonist and a pioneer, in the international developments.
Ladies
and gentlemen,
After
the tragedy of the great destructive wars of the first half of the 20th
century, with the aim never to repeated again, some dared and envisioned and
laid the basis for a united Europe. They realised that power lies in our
unity. They correctly understood that strength is in unity. We will build on
this legacy, strengthening unity so that it is steadfast, because this will
be our main tool, our strength, and our compass for the future we want for
our citizens. We have utilised this unity, and I am proud of this, when we
had to address recently successive crises.
Ladies
and gentlemen,
Cyprus,
at the southeastern edge of today’s European Union, has since antiquity been
an integral part of what historically began to be called Europe. The origins
of our historical, economic, cultural and other ties with other peoples of
Europe dates millions of years back and these bonds have been constantly
developing and have become unbreakable.
The accession of Cyprus to the
EU in the spring of 2004, a historic day that I still remember and that is
still remembered by all Cypriots, was something that had long been expected.
A natural development. It was a form of return to the area where we belong,
through the formalisation of the already existing historical bonds of Cyprus
with continental Europe.
I still
believe that Cyprus’ accession to the EU is the most important historical
event since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960 and marks the
return to our home. To our common European home.
Today,
after almost 20 years of progress, Cyprus is an active member of the EU. In
this context, a very important milestone in the term of office of my
administration is the effective exercise of the rotating Presidency of the
Council of the EU by Cyprus in the first half of 2026. I was blessed to be
actively involved in the first Cyprus Presidency in 2012 and I have no doubt
that the next Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU will be a very
important milestone both for the Union and for my country.
I assure
you today that my country will make the most of this opportunity to make a
very positive contribution as the Presidency and as an honourable mediator to
ensure institutional cohesion and to promote as many legislative files as
possible that will broaden the added value of the European integration
process and benefit all European citizens. Furthermore, we are already
considering concrete, essential and necessary political initiatives that I
would like to take undertake within the framework of our Presidency in
relation to political cooperation as EU in the Mediterranean and the wider
Middle East, our immediate neighbourhood, and which we will discuss with the
institutions in due course.
Honourable
Members of the European Parliament,
My
recent election to the presidency of the Republic of Cyprus, without the
support of the two major parties, but with the decisive support of civil
society and smaller political forces and movements, took place on the basis
of a program focused on the citizen. A modern programme based on the EU model
of work and good practices from other Member States, a model based on what
our active participation in the EU has taught us for so many years. My goal
is the well-being of the citizens of Cyprus, peace and security. My success
and election were considered unprecedented. For me, however, it was the
affirmation of society’s need for change, in order to truly hear the problems
of society and to launch solutions, so that the citizens of Cyprus can be
optimistic about their daily lives and envision their future as one with
conditions of equality at work, education and health for all. For a smooth
transition to a greener, digital, modern, equal society. I listened to
society and immediately after my election, I began the implementation of such
a program that constitutes, for me, my social contract with the Cypriot
people.
With the
next European elections for the election of the new Members of the European
Parliament now visible on the horizon, I believe that we have a duty to
listen again to the citizens attentively, to try to bring them closer to what
happens in Europe, or rather to convince them that we are their voice, that
we do not maintain distances, that we are one with them, and that the goal is
common; it is the welfare and safety of all European citizens, and respect
for the rights and equal opportunities for all.
We must
regain the trust of our citizens in the great European ideal of peace,
cooperation, solidarity and prosperity. To achieve this, we first need to do
more to make European citizens aware of what the EU is doing to ensure their
safety and improve their daily lives, and perhaps we need to communicate
better what is happening and what will happen. Our citizens must realize the
changes that are taking place with great effort. Whether this concerns the
economy, work, the green transition, digital transformation, or migration.
We must
be credible and politically responsible, and we must give value and
continuity to the contributions made by the citizens themselves, in this very
plenary chamber of the European Parliament. This should be our guide and
vision for the next steps that we will all take together.
In the
same context, I am firmly convinced that the EU must be strategically
autonomous, in areas such as security, energy, health and elsewhere. This
does not mean that the EU will be isolated or turn its back on its
traditional, natural allies. Not at all. But today more than ever, we need an
EU that is able to face the challenges effectively, to become a more valuable
but also an equal partner and ally for its friends. Strategic autonomy is
something that is dictated by our collective interest in today’s difficult
and ever-changing international context, as the reprehensible Russian
invasion of Ukraine reminds us.
Regrettably, 17 months since
the illegal Russian invasion of Ukraine, the war continues. It is therefore
crucial that we equally continue our support to the heroic people of Ukraine.
Let me be clear: we will never
allow border changes stemming from violence and war. We will never accept the
result of Russia’s aggression against an independent, sovereign state. It is
a matter of principle and a priority to ensure that anarchy and the law of
the jungle will not prevail over international law and the international
rules-based order. The EU ought to be at the forefront of upholding
international law and the UN Charter. This is, after all, an inherent part of
its foundation and the EU Treaties.
For Cypriots in particular, who
themselves have been victims of foreign invasion and an almost
half-a-century-long occupation of part of their country by Turkey, there is
no other choice. From day one of Russia’s aggression against Ukraine, Cyprus
has maintained an unequivocal, principled stance in support of the independence,
sovereignty, and territorial integrity of Ukraine. This is the path on which
we will continue.
Cyprus will continue to support
Ukraine, including through the European Peace Facility and the EU Monitoring
Assistance Mission. We have been sending to Ukraine the biggest humanitarian
aid packages ever assembled on the island. We are also hosting a large number
of Ukrainian refugees in relation to our population, and we will continue to
do so. Cyprus will be their safe haven for as long as necessary.
Within the EU, we exhibited
unprecedented unity in response to this war. Our unity proved to be our most
important tool. We have taken painful decisions, that have come at a cost for
our peoples and societies. But it is a cost worth shouldering. In unity we
need to continue, to jointly address issues that affect Ukraine but also have
repercussions beyond EU borders. It has become blatantly and painfully clear
that peace on the European continent cannot be taken for granted, that we
must defend it, and that a threat to peace somewhere in Europe is a threat to
each and every country in Europe.
Russia’s military aggression
against Ukraine has also upended energy markets, triggering price volatility
and energy insecurity across the world.
A crucial new element in the European
policy response to this unprecedented situation is the REPowerEU Plan,
building on the full implementation of the European Green Deal. As a result,
both the EU, and its Member States, are dynamically reshaping their energy
strategies to reflect new geopolitical realities and to address the need for
affordable energy. This includes intensified actions to increase gas supplies
from the EU’s trusted partners.
Cyprus, the only Member State
in the Eastern Mediterranean region with confirmed gas reserves, and with
historically excellent relations and long-standing partnerships in the field
of energy with the vast majority of its neighbours, can play a key role in
our joint efforts to address the energy crisis, by providing a reliable,
alternative energy corridor to Europe, comprising diverse sources and routes.
We are of the view that the
presence of major oil and gas companies in the region, could be leveraged to
create synergies towards a sustainable regional gas market that could supply
the EU with gas in the immediate future and with hydrogen in a few years’
time. Gas has a vital role to play in the Energy Transition, as the most
environmentally friendly conventional fuel and a potential raw material to
produce hydrogen.
For this reason, we are
intensifying our discussions with all major oil and gas companies, to
implement our vision to connect these different gas fields in the region, via
pipelines, to a modular liquefaction plant situated in Cyprus, through which
gas can be exported to Europe.
In addition, the East Med
region has recently become much more proactive in pursuing and enhancing its
energy goals towards a green transition. Both Israel and Egypt are
progressing with important renewable energy projects, to export renewable
energy as well as to use it internally. As such, in 5-10 years’ time, the
regional electricity interconnections currently in the pipeline, namely
EuroAsia Interconnector between Cyprus, Greece and Israel, and the
electricity interconnector between Cyprus, Greece and Egypt, could contribute
significantly to the supply of renewable energy from the East Med region to
the European market.
Maintaining a stable and secure
environment in the Eastern Mediterranean is to the benefit of the region and
its people, but also of strategic importance for the EU. It is therefore of
critical importance for the EU to continue sending clear and firm messages of
deterrence to potential spoilers in the region, urging them not to proceed to
new provocations and to engage constructively in the efforts aiming at
reaching solutions in a peaceful and sustainable way, based on international
law.
Further to the energy equation
of the Eastern Mediterranean, one must acknowledge that the common and
pressing challenges the region faces can be addressed effectively only by
acting collectively. Cyprus, as a pillar of stability and security in a
volatile region, actively promotes its regional cooperation policy through
the trilateral mechanisms of cooperation it established with Greece and
countries of the region, in an effort to create regional synergies and
partnerships, which in turn will have a positive impact on the wider region.
The trilateral collaborations
of Cyprus and Greece with the countries of the region have yielded tangible
results, through the consolidation of regional partnerships that contribute
to strengthening our relations at the political level, as well as expanding
and deepening them in several sectors, such as energy, defense and security,
environmental protection, natural disasters and cultural heritage.
It goes without saying that no
country excluded from such networks of regional cooperation, provided they
abide by across-the-board fundamental rules of international law.
Further strengthening of our
relations with the countries of the Mediterranean, the Middle East, North
Africa and the Gulf will remain a key pillar of our foreign policy. This
empowers Cyprus to have an active role as a geopolitical gateway between the
EU and the MENA region.
We believe that Cyprus’
regional policy adds value to the EU’s Common Foreign and Security Policy.
Our political ties with the countries of the Southern Neighbourhood allow us
to bring strategic knowledge in the relevant EU discussions, while at the
same time we are able to convey key messages of their specific concerns to
our EU partners, and vice versa.
Cyprus' pivotal geographic
position and its proximity to the continents of Asia and Africa is another
determining factor, most recently evident when the island was utilized as a
safe transit hub in the evacuation efforts from Sudan. This was not the first
time Cyprus has assisted in such operations, with the most extended one being
during the Lebanon crisis of 2006, when tens of thousands were evacuated and
provided with humanitarian assistance, proving the lasting contribution of
Cyprus as a reliable stakeholder and as a safe harbour in the region. We
shall continue to contribute our utmost whenever needed.
Notwithstanding the challenges
the region is faced with, we are also witnessing that the Middle East and the
Eastern Mediterranean are on a positive, transformative trajectory. The
changing political dynamics in our neighbourhood, such as the recent
rapprochement between Iran and Saudi Arabia, Syria’s return to the League of
Arab states, the Abraham Accords and the maritime border deal between Israel
and Lebanon all constitute indicative examples of this rapidly evolving
geopolitical mosaic.
The wider Middle East and Gulf
is not just Cyprus’s neighbourhood. It is the EU’s neighbourhood, and a vital
one at that. We ought to acknowledge with courage and honesty that as the EU
we have not invested as much as we ought to in this crucial region. We ought
to boldly work on making it a strategic priority to engage on a positive
agenda with our partners in the region, whom we must see as equal partners,
to assert a more active, extrovert role, so as to effectively reinforce the
EU’s ties with its Southern Neighbours, and in doing so promoting peace and
stability in the region.
Turning to migration, we must
take into consideration the overall migratory pressure that Europe is facing,
with certain Member States, including Cyprus, being at the forefront.
In fact, Cyprus is the Member
State with the highest percentage of first-time asylum applications in
relation to its population. The military occupation of 37% of its territory
by Turkey constitutes an aggravating factor that hinders efforts towards
sound management of flows, since control of those entering the country from
the northern aerial and sea frontiers is practically impossible.
Consequently, Cyprus is particularly vulnerable to the instrumentalization
practices used by Turkey, and this is clear from statistical data showing
that 90% of the migrants applying for asylum have departed from, arrive at
the illegal airport in the occupied areas or at the northern coasts, then
cross the buffer zone, and apply for asylum at the areas under the control of
the Republic of Cyprus.
The Government is committed to
taking all necessary action to improve infrastructure for the reception of
asylum seekers and expedite examination procedures, but also to increase the
rate of returns of those who do not have any legal right to remain in Cyprus,
making use of the support provided by the EU and its Agencies, which we
greatly appreciate. Furthermore, the Government is in close contact with the
Commission, which is preparing a dedicated Action Plan for the Eastern
Mediterranean migratory route.
Domestically, we are also
introducing a Bill for the establishment of a Deputy Ministry for
Immigration, Asylum and Integration, so as to better coordinate and implement
our policies, which also include policies for effectively integrating legally
residing third-country nationals.
However, it will be difficult
to achieve tangible and sustainable results in the absence of addressing the
root causes of the phenomenon, or in the absence of a coordinated response at
EU level, one that will convince Turkey to honour the obligations already
assumed towards all Member States.
Last week, the Council reached
a general approach on two crucial aspects of the new Pact for Migration and
Asylum. The difficulty of the negotiations demonstrates how thorny the issue
is for all Member States, and how many concessions had to be made in order to
reach this agreement. Having said that, I hope that trilogues with the
European Parliament will proceed quickly. We need this Pact for the EU to be
able to respond adequately in future crises, always in line with the acquis
and international law.
For the Pact to work, it is
imperative to maintain balance between solidarity and the principle of
responsibility, and to keep working hard on the external aspects of
migration, so as to reduce irregular flows. In this respect, on our part we
continue working closely with the Commission for the Eastern Mediterranean
Action Plan, and we warmly welcome the Team Europe approach in the outreach
to key third countries.
An integral part of promotion
of peace in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean is our unwavering efforts
to reunify Cyprus through a comprehensive settlement in line with
international law, UN Security Council Resolutions and the EU law, values and
principles. Peace in Cyprus, with the EU at the forefront of the efforts to
reunify one of its own member states, would send a resounding message of
peace in a region that desperately needs it.
The European Parliament has
always supported Cyprus and its struggle to solve the Cyprus problem, a
problem of invasion and occupation that constitutes an open wound to the body
of the whole of Europe. Thank you on behalf of the Government and the people
of Cyprus for all the efforts, for the very important resolutions for us,
including, of course, the resolutions on Famagusta, and for the approval and
at times the increase of the EU’s donation related to the investigations for
the missing persons.
I also thank the President of
the European Parliament for her sincere and personal interest, as well as the
relevant action by the political groups in support of the efforts to
terminate the occupation and to reunify our country.
The reunification of Cyprus
through a comprehensive, viable solution to the Cyprus problem, in the
framework of the agreed basis by the UN, is the highest priority of my
Government. Forty-nine years of occupation and division in the heart of
Europe are far too many. I assure you that I will spare no effort in order to
achieve the resumption of the talks, always within the framework agreed
by the UN as the basis for a solution, and from the point where they
stopped at Crans Montana in 2017.
For this purpose, I have held a
number of meetings with, among others, the UN Secretary-General and other UN
officials, with the Presidents of the EU Institutions, with my counterparts,
Heads of state and Government of EU member states, and with the Turkish
Cypriot leader.
At all my meetings I convey the
need for a new approach. My proposal substantially provides for an enhanced
EU involvement and role in the efforts both for breaking the current deadlock
and in the framework of the resumption of the talks.
In order to avoid any
misinterpretation, I stress that we do not want any change with regard to the
framework of the solution, which is always the relevant UN Security Council
resolutions, and which also constitutes our safety valve against the Turkish
position on ‘two states.’ Nor do we want the EU to replace the UN. On the
contrary, we want the EU to act in a complementary and supplementary manner
to the UN. It should be utilized as a reunifying tool, as is of course the
nature of the Union; namely to unify and create conditions of peace and of
respect for the human rights of all. This is what both the Treaties and the
European acquis stand for.
The Republic of Cyprus is a
member state of the EU and the Cyprus problem is a European problem that
requires European solutions. The EU has every interest but also an obligation
to actively contribute, through a leading role, to its final settlement,
utilizing all political and economic means and tools at its disposal, within
the framework of EU-Turkish relations. I am ready to discuss a gradual and
beneficial package for everybody, within the framework of the EU-Turkish
relations, which will evolve in parallel with the negotiations on the agreed
basis.
My proposal also includes the
appointment of a high-ranking European political figure as the EU envoy on
the Cyprus problem. I believe that such a figure would contribute the utmost,
especially at the present juncture, in breaking the deadlock and relaunching
the talks.
It is understood that if
we succeed in returning to the talks, the EU must also contribute at a
technocratic level as it had done during the previous round of negotiations.
The presence of the EU had contributed to a great extent in the achievement
of multiple convergences and was pivotal in bringing us close to a solution
to the Cyprus problem in 2017. At the moment, the EU’s presence is deemed
necessary at the stage of the efforts to break the deadlock. The Cyprus issue
can become a new successful model of peace for the EU, through which the
Union can prove in practice that it possesses the unifying power and tools to
become a founder of peace and security. This is what we look forward to and
we will fight for it with all our strength. In this, we need all of you, as
allies, here in the European Parliament, strong allies in this approach.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would like to conclude my
intervention, today, by underlining that the participation of the Republic of
Cyprus as an equal member state of the EU is of the highest importance.
In the past, I have stressed
many times – I have done so today as well – that Cyprus’ accession to the EU
is the greatest historic achievement since the establishment of the Republic
of Cyprus. Nineteen years after our accession, I believe that despite the
difficulties and problems that the EU faces at times, the participation of
Cyprus in the large European family constitutes a strong political and
diplomatic shield to counter any threats against our national sovereignty and
independence. The continuing division of Cyprus, as a result of Turkey's
invasion and occupation, is, unfortunately, the greatest political
anachronism within, what is in all other respects, the most contemporary
union of sovereign states on our planet.
Jean Monet had as one of his
guiding principles the solution of problems through the addition of yet
another dimension to an issue, thus differentiating the initial context of
the problem. “You change the context, you change the problem,” he used to
emphasize. I firmly believe that through the more active institutional
engagement of the EU and the diversification of the framework of the problem,
by intensely engaging the EU-Turkish dimension, we can break the current impasse
and resume the negotiations from the point they were interrupted in July
2017, by focusing on the objective for the comprehensive solution of the
Cyprus problem.
We demand nothing less and
nothing more than what the citizens of the rest of the EU member states
enjoy. The Cypriot refugee, the Cypriot citizen, is entitled to enjoy in his
country the same rights and basic freedoms as any European citizen in the
rest of Europe does. This is what we expect – as it is self-evident – and we
are convinced that the EU can become a catalyst for peace.
I decided to run for President
of the Republic of Cyprus as an independent candidate, without the support of
any party. I was elected against the odds, the first time a president in
Cyprus was elected without the support of one of the two big political
parties. I know how to make courageous, bold moves, against the odds. And I
believe, with engagement from all parties, and from the EU, I can be the
President to solve the Cyprus Problem.
So, I conclude by saying that
for me and for my Government, a strong EU means a strong Cyprus. Strong
Cyprus equals a stronger Europe. My political commitment is that I will work
tirelessly both within the framework of my participation in the European
Council and on a broader scale so that the EU remains coherent and united in
this difficult period of time with the geopolitical instability and the war
that has, unfortunately, returned to our continent. It is my firm conviction
that by staying true to the founding principles and values of our Union, we
can look forward to better days. We can look forward to an even better and
stronger EU for the benefit of our citizens and above all the new generation
in our countries, who constantly look towards us in search of hope.
Thank you.
(RM/EK/MPO)
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