On 9 March 2026, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met in Cyprus with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, and the President of France, Emmanuel Macron. The following are the Prime Minister’s statements after the meeting of the three leaders:

From here, from Cyprus, together with President Nikos Christodoulides and the President of France Emmanuel Macron, we are sending a joint, clear, strong, and decisive message of unity and solidarity.

A clear message, my dear Nikos, that the Republic of Cyprus, a member of the European family, is not and will never be alone.

As far as Greece is concerned, since the beginning of this crisis, I have made the security of the island a key national priority, a place with which we have the strongest and most powerful national, historical, and cultural ties.

The security of Cyprus, after all, as you said, my dear Nikos, is an integral part of European security and certainly a factor of stability for the entire Eastern Mediterranean region.

That is why, in consultation with you, the Greek Armed Forces took the first step to bring peace and security to this sacred land with two Greek frigates, one of which, the pride of the Greek fleet, the Belh@rra frigate “Kimon” and four armed F-16 Vipers were immediately deployed to Cyprus. Indeed, it will be an interesting footnote in history that the first operational mission of “Kimon” is here, in Cyprus.

Kimon, as you said, dear Nikos, was an Athenian general and admiral who identified his own history with the security of the island.

However, dear Emmanuel, it gives me great pleasure that our other partners, foremost among them our friend France, immediately responded. I would like to thank you for your decision to be here with us today, immediately after the timely response of your country’s Armed Forces.

Dear Emmanuel, historical ties of friendship unite us, and today more than ever, our strategic relationship.

We have demonstrated that the strategic agreements we sign are not merely meaningless texts; they are put to the test in practice. And this strategic relationship between Greece and France, as well as between Greece and Cyprus, has been put to the test in practice. I believe that this is the great value of this move.

And I would say, as we discussed, that our actual solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus – followed by other European countries, Italy and Spain – reflects the essence of the mutual defense clause provided for in Article 42(7) of the Treaty on European Union. This, in turn, confirms that Europe remains a responsible power, capable of shaping global developments.

This is, in fact, an initiative that essentially updates the relevant article of the Treaty with new impetus. Because, if not now, then when? And if we do not act together in such a crisis, how will we deal with possible future threats?

Therefore, now is the time to make it clear that every inch of European territory is inviolable.

I insist, as Nikos and Emmanuel said, that our actions are purely defensive, far from any military engagement.

Our sole purpose is to defend a Member State of the European Union against any threat. And we will not accept that any part of European territory, such as Cyprus, be exposed to the slightest danger.

This commitment, of course, applies to the protection of Greek sovereignty as well as the security of all Greek citizens.

It is true that the whole world is experiencing unprecedented turmoil, not only political and military but also economic, with currently unknown consequences on energy, navigation, and, in turn, on the trade of products, as well as on the formation of their prices.

In particular, as Emmanuel also mentioned, freedom of navigation, which is of such interest to both Greece and Cyprus and which is currently under attack, is not only a condition of free trade but also an essential prerequisite for the prosperity of peoples.

And the European operation “ASPIDES” is tangible proof of our common will to protect this major economic asset.

But I would also like to add my voice to that of our other European colleagues in calling for the operation “ASPIDES” to be reinforced with more naval assets. There are few of us participating, but here too we need to demonstrate our European solidarity in a more practical way.

Obviously, there is no room for complacency and we must remain constantly vigilant about developments, especially when we know that such conflicts and geopolitical upheavals are often accompanied by population movements.

I would therefore point out that we in Europe must be prepared to defend ourselves, if necessary, against other asymmetric threats, which for our region, for Cyprus, for Greece, for the Mediterranean as a whole, could also translate into large refugee flows.

That is why Greece has called on all members to pursue diplomacy from the outset, a position we insist on maintaining. Our principles are clear: Iran must abandon its nuclear ambitions, cease its threats against Israel and the countries of the Gulf and the broader Middle East, and strengthen the security of all states in the region, particularly Lebanon.

And, as I have already stressed to the leaders of all the countries involved – we have all spoken several times with all the leaders in the wider regions – all three of us want to pursue a policy of stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Finally, as regards the current situation, many of our compatriots who are trying and want to leave the war zones have already been repatriated. They are outside the danger zone.

I would like to personally thank the Minister and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for their superhuman efforts, under extremely difficult circumstances, to enable our fellow citizens to leave the war zone.

However, I would agree that we need to focus even more attention on Lebanon, support the Lebanese government, and reject large-scale operations on Lebanese territory, especially in southern Lebanon.

I believe, moreover, that this country will meet the future it deserves only when its people themselves place its interests above the expediencies of other forces that want it at their service.

And I conclude, my dear Nikos, with a few words to the Greek Cypriots:

Our brothers and sisters, I am here today, together with all Greek women and men throughout the world. We would be present even if we were alone. But we are not alone at your side today. There are many of us, because Greece and Europe will always express their practical solidarity with Cyprus.