United States President Joe Biden on Wednesday said he remains optimistic about the prospect of a solution to the Cyprus problem, following a meeting with President Nikos Christodoulides at the White House.
“This year marks the 50th anniversary of the artificial division of the island. I remember it well, I was in my first year in the US Senate,” he began, before adding that Turkey’s invasion of the island was a “sad day” and a “sad occasion”.
However, he said, “I remain optimistic about the possibility that a reunited Cyprus under a bizonal, bicommunal federation is possible.”
“There are no limits to what our nations can achieve together, we have been doing this for a long time,” he added, also referring to his visit to Cyprus as US vice-president 10 years ago.
“Today, we stand against Russia’s brutal aggression in Ukraine, began our dialogue and cooperation on a wide range of defence and security issues, intelligence, and increased humanitarian aid.”
Christodoulides also spoke on the Cyprus problem, saying, “I count on your support, and the support of the US, in our efforts to resume negotiations” to resolve the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal, federal solution.
He also said it was a “great honour” to be invited to the White House and added that Cyprus is “truly a strategic partner” of the US.
Relations between Cyprus and the US, he said, are now at a “historical high” and he highlighted the two countries’ close cooperation on the matters of “defence and security, energy, law enforcement, technology, and innovation”.
Christodoulides went on to speak of the “untapped potential” in relations between the two countries and the “clear and strong political will from both countries” to further enhance their relations and deepen their cooperation.
This, he said, is evidenced by the commencement of the “strategic dialogue” between the two countries.
He added that at a regional level, Cyprus is a “predictable and reliable partner of the US” in what he described as a “region of great geopolitical importance”, highlighting that Cyprus is a member state of the European Union, and a country which enjoys “excellent relations with all of its neighbours”.
He also said that a ceasefire in Lebanon “could be reached in the next one to two weeks”.
He then spoke about the provision of humanitarian aid to Gaza through Cyprus via the Amalthea plan and the evacuation of citizens of the US and other countries from crisis regions of the world through Cyprus via the Estia plan, and added that in carrying out these tasks, Cyprus has found itself on “the right side of history”.
Biden had also expressed his satisfaction with the Amalthea plan, saying it provided for the delivery of 8,000 metric tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
“Cyprus made all this possible,” he added.
Christodoulides was accompanied by Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos, the government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis, the Deputy Minister of European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, the director of his diplomatic office Doros Venezis and Cyprus’ ambassador to the US Evangelos Savva, among others.
Biden’s delegation consisted of Secretary of State Anthony Blinken, White House security adviser Jake Sullivan, European Affairs adviser John Carpenter, and US ambassador in Nicosia Julie Fisher.
Wednesday’s meeting was the first time a Cypriot president has been invited to the White House since 1996, when late President Glafcos Clerides met then US President Bill Clinton.
