Christodoulides: “Turkey Gets Nothing Without Progress on Cyprus”
Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides has drawn a clear line: Turkey will not receive any concessions from the European Union until there is real, tangible progress on the Cyprus issue. In an interview with Kathimerini, he made the case that EU incentives, including visa liberalisation and customs union modernisation, are the only leverage capable of pushing Ankara toward a settlement.
"Turkey is not going to proceed with the resolution of the Cyprus issue unless it feels that it will benefit from this solution," Christodoulides said, adding that any advancement in EU-Turkey relations must follow a "gradual, proportionate and reversible" approach adopted by the European Council in 2024.
"What matters is whether the solution we end up with is workable and sustainable" — Christodoulides
Christodoulides rejected the idea of using what he called "constructive ambiguity" in future negotiations, saying vague frameworks had caused problems in past efforts. He was particularly firm on security guarantees, arguing there can be no middle ground on questions about Turkey's guarantor role in Cyprus.
He also tempered expectations about what a final deal would look like. A settlement, he said, will inevitably involve compromise and cannot fully restore conditions as they were before the 1974 Turkish invasion. "What matters is whether the solution we end up with is workable and sustainable," he said.
Asked whether a deal could be reached before the end of 2026, Christodoulides said it was possible if political will exists across all parties. He also confirmed that Cyprus expects its first revenues from natural gas development to begin toward the end of 2027 or during 2028, citing progress in talks with Egypt and energy companies operating in Cyprus' exclusive economic zone.
On the defence front, he highlighted a recently signed Status of Forces Agreement with France as a step toward hosting French forces on the island and strengthening EU strategic autonomy.
