Εscalation in relations is neither in the interest of the EU member states nor of the United States, Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides said upon his arrival at the informal European Council in Brussels
Speaking on the evening of Thursday, 22 January, he said, “There are five points I would like to mention. First, I consider the decision of the President [of the European Council, António] Costa to convene today’s informal European Council absolutely correct,” the President underlined, noting that “from the very first moment, as the Presidency, we convened an extraordinary meeting of the Committee of Permanent Representatives. I was in contact with the heads of the institutions, the Prime Minister of Denmark, other counterparts of mine, the Prime Ministers of Italy, Croatia and Greece, as well as with the Minister of Foreign Affairs and the Deputy Minister for European Affairs.”
As regards the second point, the President referred to “full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark. The Republic of Cyprus knows better than any other Member State what violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity means,” he noted.
“The third point is that today we will be briefed by the heads of the institutions and the Prime Minister of Denmark on the latest developments in the understanding that appears to have been achieved in Davos, and we will decide on the next steps,” he added.
Referring to the fourth point, the President stressed that “our goal is not escalation; escalation is against everyone. Against the member states and against the United States; it works against transatlantic relations,” he said, reiterating that “our goal is not escalation, without of course any compromise on territorial sovereignty and territorial integrity, which are fundamental principles of international law.”
Finally, in his fifth point, he emphasised the confirmation of the need for the objective of the Cypriot Presidency: “the need for more autonomy in all areas. Autonomy in defence and security, autonomy in energy matters, strengthening competitiveness,” he stressed. “And this moment in time confirms the correctness of our approach, and I believe it will significantly help us work in a concrete way towards achieving the goal of the strategic autonomy and strategic independence of the European Union.”
Asked whether security guarantees for Ukraine would be discussed, the President said that “I am sure that Ukraine is going to be discussed also today, following the latest developments and one of the issues is going to be the issue that you asked about.”
Asked by CNA whether EU–US relations have suffered irreparable damage, the President answered: “No, I don't believe that we should follow that path. As I mentioned before, we are here in order to de-escalate and not escalate the situation," he underlined.
"It's not for the benefit of the European Union, it's not for the benefit of the United States, it's not for the benefit of the transatlantic relationship. So, we are here in order to find a positive way forward without, of course, any compromise on the territorial integrity and sovereignty of any member state,” he concluded.
(Source: CNA)
