Presidents of Cyprus and Latvia discuss situation in Middle East and Ukraine, expressing their support for it
The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, met today with the President of the Republic of Latvia, Mr Edgars Rinkēvičs, at the Riga Castle, in Latvia, where they discussed relations between the two countries, as well as security issues, in particular the situation in the Middle East and Ukraine, expressing support for its continued support.
According to a message posted on the website of the President of Cyprus, during his first official visit to Latvia, one-on-one talks were held at Riga Castle and meetings in an expanded format were held, and the presidents made statements to the press.
“I was happy to discuss bilateral relations and cooperation within the European Union (EU) today with my colleague, and we also discussed broader security issues. Both of our countries are very close to the epicentre of military conflicts. We are closer to Ukraine, and Cyprus has, of course, been directly affected by what is happening in the Middle East,” Rinkēvičs said.
He added that within the framework of bilateral relations, the countries have a very close political dialogue both at the bilateral level and at the EU level as EU member states.
“We also discussed the fact that Cyprus will be the presiding country of the Council of the EU next year. Cyprus would play a major role in deciding, in shaping the next Multi-Annual Financial Framework (MFF) of the EU, and I emphasised our priorities within this respect. It is defence and security, of course, cohesion policy, agricultural policy, and transport connection,” the President of Latvia said.
At the same time, he expressed his support for Cyprus' plans to join the Schengen area: “We fully support the membership of Cyprus in the Schengen area. We do believe and are absolutely confident that it will only help promote tourism and economic ties between our countries. In this regard, I can only say that from our side, we are ready to provide all necessary political and other support for this in the EU, when it comes to Cyprus joining the Schengen area.”
“We also, of course, discussed regional situations. We expressed our national position regarding developments in Ukraine. I should also say that Latvia highly appreciates the position of Cyprus with regard to support to Ukraine, which is currently fending off the aggressor,” said President Rinkēvičs, noting that an equally important topic is the situation in the Middle East, in particular the escalation of relations between Iran and Israel.
President Rinkēvičs also said that President Christodoulides had briefed him on the mood in Cyprus, which is located right next to the Middle East, which shows how close this conflict really is to the EU.
For his part, President Christodoulides said that Cyprus and Latvia share more than meets the eye. Two small countries, member states of the EU, at the frontiers of the EU’s external border. Two member states that have endured foreign occupation – and in the case of Cyprus, a member state that continues, unfortunately, to endure the consequences of aggression, Turkey’s invasion and continuing occupation of European territory.
“And so, dear Edgars, our countries have always raised their voice unequivocally in support of international order, based on full respect of international law, democracy, and rule of law – upholding human rights and fundamental freedoms, and placing them at the forefront of our foreign policies,” the leader of Cyprus said.
He added that the two presidents also exchanged views on foreign policy and defence issues - the worrying escalation in the Cyprus-EU region - and other key issues on the EU agenda.
“We reaffirmed our steadfast commitment for the continued support to Ukraine, as well as enhancing the EU’s strategic autonomy and competitiveness, and effectively addressing the instrumentalisation of migration, which was another issue we discussed today. Ahead of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the EU by Cyprus in 2026, I assured President Rinkēvičs that Cyprus will act as an honest broker, so as to uphold EU unity,” Christodoulides said.
Replying to a question on the Middle East situation and Cyprus’ role, President Edgars said that Cyprus is one of those evacuation routes for third country nationals, and praised Cyprus for taking a very active role in helping those who are currently fleeing the conflict area.
On his part, President Christodoulides, replying to a question on the Ukrainian issue and the Middle East situation, said: “Cyprus knows very well about invasion, occupation, violation of the sovereignty and territorial integrity, and violation of international law and of human rights.”
“In the case of Ukraine, from the very beginning, we were on the right side of history, and will continue to be, fully supporting Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity. Sanctions is a very important tool of the EU, and that is why we support the sanctions policy of the EU. But our sanctions can be much more effective if all member states, and especially countries that aspire to join the EU, fully aligned with this policy. If we can achieve full alignment with the EU sanction policy from the accession countries, especially in this aspect, I believe it will be much more effective,” the President of Cyprus noted.
