Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides said that on the sidelines of the Sharm el-Sheikh meeting he discussed the Cyprus issue exclusively with the US President, confirming Nicosia‘s focus on the international mobilisation of the current situation. The summit concluded yesterday with the signing of a ceasefire text and international support for Gaza.

“Amalthea” and a new Cyprus plan

President Christodoulides recalled that Cyprus had presented since October 2023, in Paris, the “Amalthea” initiative for a maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza, which in the following years became a key aid channel. In Sharm el-Sheikh, he presented an updated plan with six targeted initiatives in three pillars (security, reconstruction, humanitarian support) in line with the US President’s 20-point plan.

Contacts with Brussels and partners

According to a Cyprus Presidency statement, the document with the six proposals has already been sent to the European Commission, EU member states and international stakeholders. President Christodoulides personally briefed the Commission President, underlining that the EU’s contribution will be crucial for the implementation of the first stage of the agreement and the passage to the second.

Yesterday’s ceremony in Sharm el-Sheikh reflected the effort for stabilisation with broad international participation. Despite the absence of the Israeli Prime Minister, Washington and regional mediators proceeded with formal ratification, and a twenty-point comprehensive plan for the next day in Gaza was presented. Challenges remain, but the context creates a window for practical steps in security, demining, infrastructure rehabilitation and massive humanitarian delivery.

Nicosia stressed that Cyprus, as the only EU member state in the immediate vicinity of the crisis, has a practical role to play: Proximity, infrastructure, networks and political relations with all sides. The Amalthea initiative has served as a tool for humanitarian mediation and the new package of six initiatives aims to turn the ceasefire into a stabilisation process with a European footprint, in full coordination with Washington and regional mediators.

The Amalthea initiative has served as a tool for humanitarian mediation and the new package of six initiatives aims to turn the ceasefire into a stabilisation process with a European footprint, in full coordination with Washington and regional mediators.

Simon Aycout case: Admission of guilt of usurpation

Nikos Christodoulides, asked to comment on Turkish-Israeli Simon Aykut’s admission of guilt on a number of charges involving the usurpation of Greek Cypriot property in the occupied territories, avoided comment so as not to interfere with justice. He noted, however, that the development vindicates the government’s policy of dealing with the phenomenon. Aykut admitted to forty charges, with sentencing expected in the coming days. This is a milestone in a long and complex case that goes to the heart of the issue of Greek Cypriot properties in the occupied territories.