“We are at our limits”, warns the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidis, referring to the migration flows from Lebanon to Cyprus and criticizing the EU for insufficient involvement in the Middle East. He announces the resumption of the maritime corridor from Cyprus to Gaza, but also the – at the initiative of Cyprus – the announcement of EU economic measures for Lebanon, which will take place during a visit by himself and the president of the European Commission, Ursula von der Laien in the country, in May.

In an interview with the RND Editors’ Network, Mr. Christodoulidis expresses the hope that the crisis in the Middle East will not escalate further, stressing at the same time that Cyprus, the EU member state closest to the region, maintains excellent relations with all parties involved and is not involved in any way in military actions. He even clarifies that there was no prior information from Britain that its bases in Cyprus were to be used to assist Israel during the attack by Iran with drones. “I am very concerned about the risk of escalation. We try to act as mediator. That is why we make it clear to all parties involved that further escalation is not in the interest of any country. We cannot settle this crisis by military means”, says the Cypriot president and notes that the transfer of humanitarian aid from Cyprus is expected to resume soon, when the temporary port built in the Gaza Strip by the US army can be used. “It is a very important step in order to help the people in Gaza, who are facing a terrible humanitarian disaster. It is also a big step for us, the fact that after 17 years the ban on sailing from Cyprus to Gaza came,” he emphasizes.

Responding to a question if the EU is doing enough for the Middle East, Mr. Christodoulidis states that “even though it is a neighbor of the EU, we are not playing a leading role in the efforts for peace” and continues: “To be honest, I am not at all satisfied with the EU’s engagement with the issue so far. We need to do significantly more and play a much more important role, both in de-escalating the crisis and in negotiating a two-state solution.” The President of the Republic of Cyprus expresses the opinion that the EU is focusing too much on Ukraine, which he says he fully supports, but “if we want to play a leading geopolitical role, we should be able to deal with two or three crises at the same time”. points out and emphasizes that in the crisis in the Middle East the issue is not only the war in Gaza or the situation between Israel and Iran. “This crisis also has consequences for our security in Europe, it also has consequences in the field of immigration. We must now with very specific actions make it clear that this region is really in our hearts”, he adds and refers to the visit planned for May 2 by himself and Ursula von der Leyen to Lebanon, where, on Cypriot initiative, a specific announcement will be made financial aid package from the EU, but also support for the country’s institutions, for example the armed forces, which have a stabilizing role in Lebanon. “We want to help Lebanon in the matter of immigration, so that no more immigrants come to Cyprus”, underlines Mr. Christodoulidis and explains that in the last two-three months Syrians from Lebanon have been arriving in Cyprus every day and, as the country is an island , they remain there. “Currently 7% of our population are immigrants. The boats that are constantly arriving with migrants are causing us great concern. We are cooperating on a bilateral level with Lebanon (…), but at the same time we should also discuss the fact that some areas of Syria are now de facto safe. We explicitly request that specific areas of Syria be designated as safe,” he emphasizes.

Asked if Cyprus has reached its limit regarding the reception of refugees, the Cypriot president replied: “I have to use the clearest words here. Arrives. We are unable to accept any more Syrian refugees. We are at the limit and we cannot handle this flow of refugees anymore. That is why I asked for the EU’s help and decided to suspend the examination of new asylum applications. For us it is a matter of national security. We are no longer able to meet this challenge.” At the same time, he pointed out, the Cypriot government is in talks with Lebanon, Egypt and India in order to conclude agreements for the reception of specialized labor force from these countries.

Referring to the completion of 20 years since the accession of Cyprus to the EU, Nikos Christodoulidis speaks of “the most important positive development since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus in 1960” and adds that he could not imagine how Cyprus would be able to cope to many challenges such as the coronavirus pandemic with the required supply of vaccines or the economic crisis if it was not a member of the EU and the Eurozone.

The Cypriot president is still being asked whether the good relationship he maintains with Chancellor Olaf Soltz has helped him to secure an understanding of Cyprus’s position regarding Euro-Turkish relations. “Yes, I do have a very close relationship with the German chancellor and I would like to thank him for his support in our efforts to resume negotiations with Turkey. “We are now sending a positive message to Turkey, which could lead to concrete steps for the development of EU-Turkey relations, as long as Ankara resolves the Cyprus issue. I am very glad we have this open and honest relationship and conversation with the German chancellor. (The chancellor) contributed to Turkey accepting the UN Secretary-General’s personal envoy for Cyprus, in order to achieve a resumption of talks”, he states. Answering a question about whether the voice of Cyprus is being heard regarding EU-Turkey relations, Nikos Christodoulidis notes that his country does not clearly express its opinion only on the Cyprus issue, but plays an important role when e.g. the issue of Lebanon or immigration is discussed. “Cyprus can offer solutions to many challenges that the EU is currently facing,” concludes the Cypriot president.