The invitation extended by the President of the United States to the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, for the participation of the Republic of Cyprus in the Gaza Board of Peace does not entail any financial obligations or the payment of any amount by the Republic of Cyprus, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis has said.
In a statement to CNA on 18 January, Letymbiotis said that the President of the Republic of Cyprus received an official letter of invitation from the President of the United States for Cyprus to participate in the Gaza Board of Peace, while underlining that Cyprus’ role in the Middle East region is being recognized. “Whether some consider this fact ordinary or negligible depends solely on their own judgment and their political perception of our country’s international standing” he went on.
He added that the Republic of Cyprus has received the invitation and is evaluating it “with seriousness, institutional responsibility, and full awareness of its role and capabilities, and will respond officially once this process is completed.”
Regarding claims circulating about alleged obligations to pay money to participate in the Board, Letymbiotis emphasized that these do not correspond to reality in relation to the invitation received by the Republic of Cyprus. “The invitation concerns participation as a member for a three-year period, with the possibility of renewal upon a new invitation, and in no way entails any financial obligations or the payment of any amount by the Republic of Cyprus,” he stressed.
As he noted, the references relate to potentially different legal regimes or options for permanent legal status that could be considered only by states that wish to do so, and “are neither directly nor indirectly related to the invitation received by our country, so any connection of the Republic of Cyprus to such claims is unfounded and misleading.”
At the same time, the Government Spokesman underlined that the invitation itself explicitly recognizes Cyprus’ role in the wider Middle East region, which carries particular political weight when such recognition comes from the United States, confirming the steady advancement of the country’s international standing as a reliable, stable, and responsible actor for peace and cooperation.
“The Republic of Cyprus approaches such initiatives substantively, based on its capacity to meaningfully contribute to stability and the peace process, just as it did at the international Gaza conference in Egypt, where it submitted concrete and realistic proposals on how it can support the implementation of the twenty-point peace plan,” he noted.
Furthermore, he pointed out that the evaluation of the proposal is already underway, and the Republic of Cyprus’ response will be based solely on “political, institutional, and national criteria, far from speculation or preconceptions aimed at discrediting an initiative that, in essence, represents recognition of our country’s role and credibility in the international system, and particularly in the geopolitically sensitive and critical region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.”
(Source: CNA)
