President Christodoulides told the Global Cyprus Diaspora Congress 2025 on Tuesday that resolving the island’s 51-year division requires strengthening both internal and external power, acknowledging the country operates within an “anarchic international system.”
Speaking at the opening ceremony in Nicosia, Christodoulides said ending Turkish occupation remains the government’s top priority but stressed Cyprus must enhance its capabilities to achieve this goal through actions rather than words.
“We must first and foremost understand that we live in an anarchic international system,” Christodoulides said. “Unfortunately, we are not the centre of the world. Unfortunately, we are not the navel of the earth, as for many years we gave the impression to the Cypriot people that we were the centre of the world.”
Christodoulides addresses Global Cyprus Diaspora Congress 2025
The president, who has served two and a half years in office after four years as foreign minister and five years as government spokesman, outlined Cyprus’s strategic approach to addressing its division.
Cyprus has had eight presidents since independence in 1960, all of whom prioritised resolving the Cyprus issue, Christodoulides noted. However, he emphasised that small states must work differently than major powers to achieve their objectives.
“How can we, from the moment we are not among the powerful of the earth – we are unfortunately not the United States, we are not Germany, China, France, the Russian Federation, we are a small state in a difficult region, a small state under occupation – achieve our number one goal, which is nothing other than ending the occupation and reuniting our homeland,” he said.
President emphasises need for internal and external strength
Christodoulides stressed that Cyprus must strengthen external factors by upgrading the Republic of Cyprus’s standing internationally, citing the Amalthea initiative as one of few positive international recognitions since 1974.
The president highlighted Cyprus’s upcoming EU Council presidency beginning January 1, 2026, as an opportunity to demonstrate the country’s capacity beyond its division problem.
“We have an obligation to prove as the Republic of Cyprus that we are not only the Cyprus problem, but we are a country that can promote European integration, contribute effectively to addressing the problems and challenges facing the EU,” he said.
Domestically, Cyprus must maintain economic strength, address migration issues, modernise state institutions, and enhance its deterrent capabilities, according to Christodoulides.
The government recently launched the “Minds in Cyprus” initiative to connect diaspora Cypriots with the local labour market, recognising that “the strength of our country, the strength of Cypriot Hellenism, the strength of Hellenism in general, has always been its people.”
(Pictures: PIO/Andreas Loucaides)
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