in-cyprus 22 February 2026 - by Andreas Bimbishis
The day after in the Middle East is about far more than Gaza. It is a blueprint that, one way or another, will reshape the broader region and the Mediterranean. When Nicosia received a second invitation to a council established by Washington, it had already weighed the pros and cons. Skipping the ceremony in Washington was never seriously on the table.
That was the picture that emerged from conversations with senior government officials shortly after the invitation was made public. The positive disposition toward participation was unmistakable. What remained was to resolve a number of issues related to Cyprus’s role as a European Union member state.
The diplomatic sprint that followed receipt of the Peace Council invitation had two objectives: first, to gauge the intentions of other EU member states – particularly Mediterranean ones; and second, to assess the internal EU fallout – given Cyprus’s current Council Presidency – of both attending and not attending.
On Thursday evening, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos spelled out the rationale in a statement to Omega television: “The Republic of Cyprus, as a country in the region with geographic proximity and issues touching on our own interests and security concerns, could not be absent from such a summit – something I consider of particular importance, given that a majority trend in favour of attendance simultaneously took shape within the European Union.”
Everything Went on the Scales
Beyond gauging its EU partners, Cyprus had to weigh its own cost of absence from a gathering that was ceremonial in appearance but where some capitals had already signalled they would not show up. At the same time, the factors that drove Nicosia to decline participation at Davos had since evaporated: EU-U.S. tensions over Donald Trump’s Greenland gambit had eased, and the invitation letter explicitly referenced U.N. resolutions as the guiding framework for any action.
President Nikos Christodoulides’ statement on Sunday was sufficiently revealing of Nicosia’s intentions:
– He described the invitation and Cyprus’s attendance as “particularly important for our country,” and expressed satisfaction that the United States – through the observer-status invitation – was enabling the Republic’s presence at the meeting.
– He stressed that “our decisions are taken with the primary criterion of serving the interests of the Republic of Cyprus, and I believe participation there serves, among many other things, our country’s interests.”
– He said the Peace Council meeting would be attended by either himself or the Foreign Minister, noting he was in contact with other Mediterranean government leaders and that “by tomorrow we will have a final decision.”
The only element of Christodoulides’ statement that was not immediately confirmed was the precise timing of the announcement about who would travel to Washington. By the following morning, the Presidential Palace had made clear that Cyprus would be represented by Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos – though officials kept their cards close to their chests until the last moment as consultations continued at multiple levels.
The Invitation Letter Opened the Door
The letter sent by the Peace Council to the President of the Republic addressed the clarifications that had been sought following the initial invitation dispatched the previous week.
The Peace Council invited President Christodoulides to attend the inaugural session “as an observer” in Washington on Feb. 19, 2026 at 10 a.m. at the Donald J. Trump Peace Institute.
The letter referenced U.N. Security Council Resolution 2803 (Nov. 17, 2025), which “welcomes the Peace Council serving as the primary body responsible for implementing President Donald Trump’s comprehensive plan for ending the conflict in Gaza and securing lasting peace in the region.”
The Peace Council told Christodoulides: “The Republic of Cyprus has consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace, solidarity and international cooperation. In that spirit, the Council would welcome the Republic of Cyprus’s presence at the inaugural session as an observer.”
The letter also noted that “the Peace Council would be grateful to receive confirmation of attendance, including the name and title of the proposed representative and observer of the Republic of Cyprus.”
What Changed from the First Invitation
Representation: The original invitation, sent the previous week, was strictly personal – invitees could not be represented by a proxy. The updated letter asked President Christodoulides to inform the Council whether he himself or a designated representative would attend.
Deadline pressure: The original invitation required responses by Feb. 10. Confirmations were still trickling in during the final 24 hours, with the formal announcement of who would represent the Republic expected to be made that same day.
The reference in the letter to Cyprus having “consistently demonstrated its commitment to peace, solidarity and international cooperation” was read in Nicosia as an acknowledgement of the role Cyprus plays in the Eastern Mediterranean and the broader Middle East.
Several messages received in Nicosia in recent days had made clear that the Americans wanted Cyprus present at the Feb. 19 event in Washington.
Proposals Grounded in Reality
During consultations with Washington, Nicosia submitted a document outlining what Cyprus could realistically offer – options calibrated to the country’s size and capabilities. The four Cypriot proposals cover:
1. Humanitarian aid through Operation Amalthea;
2. Early recovery, critical infrastructure rehabilitation and reconstruction;
3. Security training provision, in cooperation with relevant EU missions; and
4. Operational support for the International Stabilisation Force.
The Cypriot proposals placed before the Peace Council this week are drawn from a working paper first submitted by the President at the Sharm el-Sheikh summit last October.
At that stage, the Republic of Cyprus (RoC) indicated it could play a reinforcing role across several aspects of the Trump Plan – including humanitarian, security and reconstruction. It also stated that it could actively contribute to the Plan’s implementation in a complementary manner, ensuring all stakeholders are protected and promoting Gaza’s long-term sustainability.
The paper noted that Cyprus, through its infrastructure assets – including CYCLOPS, whose operational efficiency has already been demonstrated through Operation Amalthea – and by virtue of its geostrategic position, is ready to align its national capabilities with the Plan’s priorities. The vetting and security-check mechanisms established under Amalthea, it noted, can be leveraged in the next phase and offer substantial solutions. The rigorous security protocols already in place also allow for further use, widening the range of specialised checks.
Staying in the Game
Cyprus, given its size and economic weight, cannot match the billion-dollar pledges made by other countries – the kind that resonate most directly with Donald Trump. But Nicosia has long known that more countries want its presence, both in Washington and in whatever takes shape for Gaza, than is the case for other, more powerful regional players.
That positioning allows Cyprus to remain in the game of regional developments that, in an area like the broader Middle East, can shift in an instant.
From Battlefield to Arena of Rivalries
The war in Gaza may, by all appearances, be over. The impression has taken hold that reconstruction of the Strip is beginning – to be built along the lines of the scale models Donald Trump once unveiled. But the problems have not ended there.
Gaza is slowly transforming from a conflict zone into an arena of rivalry between the main actors – rivalries playing out on multiple levels, with the most prominent being the contest between Israel and Turkey.
Jerusalem has consistently opposed any Turkish presence in Gaza, a point of friction that has also strained the Netanyahu-Trump relationship. The appearance of Erdogan at Sharm el-Sheikh, and his seemingly prominent role in the Peace Council, has not changed the facts on the ground.
That explains why Turkish Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan chose his words with considerable care during the Peace Council’s opening ceremony in Washington. Fidan said Turkey was already providing substantial humanitarian aid to Gaza and could contribute to rebuilding the health and education sectors, as well as to police training. He also stated that Ankara “is ready to deploy troops” within an international stabilisation force framework, if so decided.
He stopped at signalling readiness and intent – a contrast with other regional actors such as Egypt, which has already taken on a hands-on role in the day-after phase, currently focused on training the new police forces that will assume duties in Gaza.
Turkish-Israeli relations may well be the next major issue Donald Trump will be called upon to address – once he has finished dealing with Iran.
