Press Office
Athens, 20 January 2026
Briefing of Committees on European Affairs and on National Defence and Foreign Affairs by Ambassador of Republic of Cyprus to Greece
The priorities of the Cypriot Presidency of the Council of the European Union, which commenced on 1 January 2026, were the subject of today’s briefing of Members of Parliament serving on the Special Standing Committee on European Affairs and the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs of the Hellenic Parliament, delivered by the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Greece, Mr Stavros Avgoustidis. In his introductory remarks, the Chair of the meeting, Deputy Chair of the Standing Committee on National Defense and Foreign Affairs, Mr Dimitris Kairidis, noted that the timing of Cyprus assuming the Presidency of the Council of the EU is exceptionally critical, with open fronts in its eastern and southern neighbourhood and in light of unprecedented geoeconomic challenges that are testing the resilience and cohesion of the Union. For the Republic of Cyprus, this constitutes a prime opportunity to remind its partners that the resolution of the Cyprus issue concerns the entire European Union and the global system of law and justice as a whole, Mr Kairidis emphasised. “Peace and security require vigilance and constant alertness; they must not be taken for granted, as demonstrated by the Russian invasion of Ukraine and, moreover, as we are reminded by more than 51 years of illegal invasion and occupation in Cyprus. We do not forget—and we must not allow our partners to forget or to come to terms with an illegal fait accompli,” he added.
