Cyprus a ‘constructive factor’ in the region, summit speakers say

Speakers at the Economist’s 19th Annual Cyprus Summit on Tuesday highlighted the role of Cyprus as a “constructive factor” in a region shaken by crises.
Both the US Ambassador Julie Fisher and the British High Commissioner Irfan Siddiq underlined that the crisis in the Middle East highlighted the role of Cyprus as a safe space for the evacuation of citizens, as well as for the provision of humanitarian aid.
“The partnership we have with the Republic of Cyprus in both of these areas is incredibly important and we are doing so much together with President Christodoulides and his team,” Fisher said, noting it is not just about the island’s geographical location, which at these times is “inescapable”.
“We are very much reliant on both Cyprus’ geography, considering evacuation of civilians, but also looking to Cyprus and Cyprus’ leadership in terms of leveraging its relationships in the region in support of ideas like the maritime humanitarian corridor,” she added.
She also highlighted Cyprus’ support to the transatlantic consensus in support of Ukraine, as well as President Christodoulides’ commitment in implementing sanctions against Russian oligarchs, law enforcement and maritime security.
The US ambassador referred to Cyprus’ reputation as a place of illicit income as a “dated trend,” noting that she recognises President Christodoulides leadership in “squeezing that out.”
On the Cyprus problem, Fisher said the US continue to support the UN Security Council’s commitment to a bi-communal bizonal federation with political equality.
“And we have not just echoed but we fully supported the designation of a UN envoy to help find some fertile ground to more these talks forward,” she concluded.
For his part, Siddiq said that the crisis in Ukraine and the recent eruption of the conflict in the Gaza strip have been “really important junctions [for Cyprus]to try to reposition itself”.
He noted that Russia’s invasion in Ukraine has had a distinct impact on Cyprus, because “there was an accommodation in the past, a lot of Russian investments and some dependence on Russia in some ways”.
Now that has been removed, it has meant that Cyprus’ strategic orientation is “clearly towards the West,” the High Commissioner said.
According to Siddiq, Cyprus’ initial reaction to the crisis in Gaza was to position itself “as a constructive actor in the region, one as the go-to regional location for evacuating foreign nationals from places of conflict and that sort being a productive regional actor that others can depend upon and try to increase its utility to international partners in that way”.
The proposal for a maritime humanitarian corridor also plays into how Cyprus can be an effective actor, he added.
Quoting the president’s earlier remarks that the status quo is not static, he recalled attempts to amend it such as the incidents in Pyla, developments in the fenced-off Varosha, and challenges to the status of the UN Peacekeeping Force.
“It is really important to assume that the status quo would persist and to get ahead of it,” he said. “I think that if there is any single lesson Cyprus can draw in terms of risks to its own security is that you can’t be complacent,” he added.
On his part, Ian Lesser, Vice President of the German Marshall Fund US, said that utilising its location, “Cyprus is a euro Atlantic asset,” both now with its role concerning humanitarian assistance as well as future issues such as maritime security.
“If the EU is serious about becoming a more significant geopolitical actor this region is where the test is,” he said.