Response from Nicosia

The readiness of the USA to support the goal of a solution of the Cypriot conflict in a bizonal bicommunal federation was expressed yesterday by American President Joe Biden, welcoming his Cypriot counterpart Nikos Christodoulidis in the Oval Office of the White House. In front of cameras and open microphones, Biden’s reference to the Cyprus issue was a clear blow to the Turkish position for a two-state solution in Cyprus. Previously, Joe Biden thanked Nikos Christodoulidis for his leadership, which brought Cyprus to the side of the US against the brutal Russian aggression in Ukraine, allowed eight thousand tons of humanitarian aid to be sent through Cyprus to Gaza, and led to the launch of the strategic dialogue between the two countries for cooperation in security, energy and artificial intelligence.

The stabilizing role of Cyprus in the Eastern Mediterranean region according to Nicosia’s reading, as conveyed by the Cypriot President in his statements after the conclusion of the meeting at the White House, is linked to the form of solution of the Cyprus issue and is recorded as the most important result of yesterday’s official visit of the President of Cyprus to the USA.

“This year marks 50 years since the artificial division of Cyprus,” said Joe Biden, addressing Nikos Christodoulidis. Noting that he remembers well that “sad situation” as he was in the first year of his first term as a Senator, the American President declared “he is optimistic about the possibility of reuniting Cyprus in a bi-zonal bi-communal federation”. This position was subsequently transferred to the official announcement of the White House for the visit of the Cypriot President.

Then taking the floor, the President of Cyprus thanked his American counterpart for the invitation and emphasized the importance of building the strategic cooperation between the two countries, which places the US-Cyprus relations at the highest historical level. “There are prospects that can be exploited, there is a clear and strong political will from both countries to further strengthen our cooperation,” Nikos Christodoulidis told Joe Biden, characterizing Cyprus as a “predictable and reliable partner for the US in a region of great geopolitical importance”. Referring to Cyprus’ stance on Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine, Nikos Christodoulidis said that it could not have been different “considering that my country has been under Turkish occupation for the last 50 years”. At this point, the Cypriot President asked for the support of the US to restart negotiations in order to find a solution to the Cyprus problem based on the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

Tuesday and successful

In the 64 years of the Republic of Cyprus, yesterday’s visit by Christodoulides to the White House was only the third of a Cypriot President following an official invitation from a US President. The previous Cypriot Presidents who crossed the threshold of the White House as official guests were Archbishop Makarios III in the distant 1962 and Glaukos Cleridis in 1996. As the reason for the official invitation this time, according to a post on the official account of the American President in platform X (formerly Twitter), was the launch last week of the US-Cyprus strategic dialogue, which covers four thematic areas: regional cooperation, security-crisis management, education and energy. Indicative of the US assessment of the start of the strategic dialogue was the reference by Biden that “there are no limits to what our nations can achieve together”, which was proposed in the Cypriot and Greek press, giving the impression of yesterday’s visit by Christodoulidis in the USA.

In the actual results of the one-hour Biden-Christodoulidis meeting, the President of Cyprus, after its completion, made revelations about what the Cypriot side expects to happen in the immediate future regarding his country’s relations with the USA. In particular, Nikos Christodoulidis stated that very soon positive developments are expected in relation to the issue of lifting entry visas, as well as in matters of defense and security. Describing the discussion with President Biden as excellent and effective, Mr. Christodoulidis stated that there are specific issues to be implemented. In this context, Mr. Christodoulidis highlighted the presence during the meeting at the White House of Foreign Minister Anthony Blinken as well as National Security Advisor Jake Sullivan, stating that “a lot has been done recently, you will see even more in the coming months”.

Hoping for American investment

A big gamble of yesterday’s official visit of Nikos Christodoulidis to the White House was the opening of the Cypriot economy to the American market. The subject of American investments was discussed in the contacts with Joe Biden, with the Cypriot President stating that there is strong interest from the US side. Another issue that was discussed was the lifting of entry visas to the US for Cypriot citizens, with Nikos Christodoulidis predicting that “very soon we will hear positive developments”.