2026-01-07 19:35
publication
2026-01-07 19:35
The official inauguration ceremony of the country's presidency of the EU Council took place on Wednesday in the capital of Cyprus, Nicosia. The invited guests included: the head of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the president of the European Council Antonio Costa and the president of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky.
The ceremony started at 17.30 Central European time. Over 100 Cypriot artists and representatives of the world of culture performed on the stage of the Cyprus Theater Organization (THOC), the state theater organization in Cyprus. The performance titled Memory-Present-Future directed by Kostas Silvestros combined elements of music, dance, theater performances and poetry related to the history of Cyprus.
The cultural part was preceded by the political part, because European, EU and non-European leaders had been arriving in the capital of Cyprus since the morning. Already at noon, the President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, welcomed President Zelensky. – Cyprus reaffirms its steadfast support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine – Christodoulidis wrote on X, adding that the Ukraine issue will be one of the main priorities of the Cypriot presidency.
The invited guests also included the head of the European Council, Antonio Costa, and the head of the Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, as well as the president of Moldova, Maia Sandu.
Before the ceremony, a meeting was held between the leaders of EU institutions, President Christodoulidis and Zelensky. Afterwards, Costa wrote on X that it was good to meet President Zelensky in Nicosia and recalled that Tuesday's meeting of the coalition of the willing in Paris allowed for the agreement on security guarantees for Ukraine, which was a key step towards ensuring peace. – Ukraine's membership in the EU is itself a key security guarantee – he said.
The ceremony itself opened with a speech by the president of Cyprus, who said that the EU is one of the strongest economies in the world. He noted that the strength of the Community is that it is “united in purpose and based on solidarity.”
Volodymyr Zelensky said that Ukraine expects a lot from the Cyprus presidency and that he hopes for his country's progress on the path of accession to the Community. The President of Ukraine also thanked Denmark for its chairmanship of the Council over the past six months. – We respect the territorial integrity of Denmark. We respect the territorial integrity of Cyprus. We want respect for Ukraine's territorial integrity, he emphasized.
Ursula von der Leyen noted that the key priority of the Cyprus Presidency is building a secure and more independent Europe, which can be achieved by ensuring security in Ukraine. She added that the EU would continue the accession process of both Ukraine and Moldova. She noted that it is significant that Cyprus is now taking over the presidency of the EU Council because it is one of the countries that experienced division and understands its consequences. In her speech, Von der Leyen also referred to the issue of Greenland in connection with President Donald Trump's statements about the need for the US to take over the island. She said that the EU is an example that cooperation counts more than confrontation and that these values also apply to Greenland.
Costa stressed that Cyprus took the lead at a very difficult moment when “the international order is under attack.” He also referred to Greenland, emphasizing that the island belongs to its inhabitants and that no decision regarding it can be made without the participation of Denmark, which has the full support of the EU.
Cyprus took over the presidency of the EU Council, representing member states, on 1 January. The Cypriot presidency will last half a year and will end on June 30. Nicosia presented its priorities in December, outlining five areas in which it believes the EU should achieve autonomy: its own defense capabilities, competitiveness, openness to the world, promoting a union of values and establishing an ambitious EU budget.
From Brussels Jowita Kiwnik Pargana (PAP)
jowi/kar/
