Cypriot President Nicos Christodoulides said he would immediately apply for Cyprus to join NATO if he were confident of a positive response.
According to him, the country is already making preparations to be ready to submit an application when the political situation becomes favorable. He spoke about this in an interview with Huffpost Greece, which took place in Limassol as part of the Maritime Cyprus 2025 conference.
The conversation also discussed the conflict between Cyprus and Greece over the Great Sea Interconnector (GSI) project, a strategic cable that will connect the energy systems of Cyprus, Greece and Israel. When asked by journalist Amy Livaniou about his harsh remarks against the Greek operator ADMIE, Christodoulides explained that his statement of “blackmail” was related to actions that went beyond the agreements reached with Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in New York and Copenhagen.
The President stressed that relations between Nicosia and Athens are “stronger than ever” and that existing differences are purely technical. He confirmed that the GSI project will be implemented and both countries are working in this direction. At the same time, Christodoulides assured that Cyprus has already contributed its share - 25 million euros, and there is no delay.
Commenting on Turkish statements, the president said that Cyprus and Greece will not accept Ankara’s “unfounded claims that are contrary to international law.” He also noted that the viability of the project depends on the speed of its implementation, and EU funding only confirms its significance.
Speaking about the Cyprus problem, Christodoulides admitted that progress in the negotiations has not yet met expectations, but there remains a “window of opportunity” for resuming dialogue. He emphasized that UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres confirmed his intention to resume negotiations from the point at which they were interrupted in Crans-Montana.
International relations were also discussed in the interview. The President recalled that during a meeting in New York, Donald Trump reproached Recep Tayyip Erdogan for violating sanctions against Russia, emphasizing that Europe also condemns such actions by Turkey. Christodoulides noted that Ankara did not achieve real advantages in these negotiations, and the issue of F-35 supplies remains uncertain.
The President paid special attention to the maritime industry, noting the importance of the Cypriot flag and ship register for the country's economy. According to him, the development of maritime services remains one of the government’s priorities, and the results of recent years confirm the correctness of the chosen course.
Source: cyprus-mail.com
