Press remarks by the President of the Republic of Cyprus at the joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, in Zagreb

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, met today with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, Mr Andrej Plenković, in Zagreb.

Following their tête-à-tête meeting and the meetings in an extended format, President Christodoulides and Prime Minister Plenković made statements to the press.

In his remarks, President Christodoulides said: “Let me start by expressing my sincere thanks for the very warm hospitality extended to me and my delegation, as well as for our excellent and very productive discussions.

With Andrej, we are working very closely together within the context of the European Council. We are working together very closely within the context of European People’s Party (EPP). Indeed, this marks the first bilateral visit by a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Croatia in nearly two decades. I will be back by the end of January, when we have the EPP retreat summit. I will be back during your MED9 Presidency next year.

Our countries share many commonalities as European Union (EU) member states and as part of the broader Mediterranean family. Today’s meeting follows the MED9 Summit held yesterday in Slovenia, where we reaffirmed our clear commitment to enhancing cooperation among Mediterranean EU partners, promoting stability, security, and sustainable development in our neighbourhood.

My visit also takes place within the framework of outreach to EU member states, in view of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU in just 70 days.

We place great importance on listening to our partners, understanding their priorities, their sensitivities, and working together to deliver tangible results for the benefit of all member states and, of course, our citizens. Therefore, my visit provided a very valuable opportunity for coordination and discussion on key issues expected to feature prominently on the European agenda during the first half of 2026. I am especially pleased that, as I mentioned before, Cyprus and Croatia share a common vision and priorities on many of these critical EU matters. 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.

We will deal with major and very important issues, like the Multiannual Financial Framework (MFF), strengthening the EU’s competitiveness by reducing bureaucracy and supporting innovation, and, of course, effectively addressing another huge challenge which is migration.

A key priority of our Presidency will also be advancing the EU’s enlargement agenda, including, of course, for the Western Balkans. Cyprus remains a firm supporter of the EU’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 EU’s agenda.

With Andrej, we also exchanged views on regional developments, including, of course, the situation in the Middle East and in Ukraine. As two nations that have experienced the tragedy of war, we share a profound understanding of the consequences of our conflict. We reaffirm our unwavering commitment to supporting Ukraine’s sovereignty and territorial integrity, as well as to promoting peace efforts in the Middle East, where we have a historic opportunity for peace after many years. And we both agree that the EU has a decisive role to play in consolidating these efforts.

Reinforcing the EU’s relationship with the wider Middle East will also be one of the priorities of our Presidency. 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. As Presidency, Cyprus will place the implementation of the pact high on the EU’s agenda. To this end, we also aim to host a meeting next April with the participation of leaders from both the EU and the broader Middle East.

I also had the opportunity to brief the Prime Minister on the latest developments regarding the Cyprus problem and to express our 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 United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions and, of course, the values, the principles, and the laws of the EU.

Finally, we had the opportunity to review our bilateral relations, which are strong and full of potential for deeper cooperation in several areas. One particularly promising area for further collaboration is defence, especially in light of our shared vision to enhance the EU’s strategic autonomy. The upcoming Memorandum of Cooperation in Security and Defence, which we expect to sign soon, will provide the framework for more structured and enhanced collaboration in this field”.

In response to a question on what the EU leaders could do, in view of the Budapest meeting between the Presidents of the United States of America (USA) and Russia, to maintain unity with the USA in seeking a solution for Ukraine and, at the same time, avoid a bad deal for Ukraine, the President of the Republic of Cyprus said: “We welcome any initiative that will end the foreign invasion and occupation of Ukraine. We welcome any initiative of the USA, as we did with President Trump’s 20-point 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 that, 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”.

(RM/LY/ΚΑ/GS)

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