President Nikos Christodoulides will travel to Brussels on Sunday evening to participate on Monday in the informal European Council retreat.

The summit will address defence and security issues and in this framework EU leaders will discuss EU-US relations.

The EU leaders will also have a working lunch with the NATO Secretary General to discuss EU-NATO relations and in the afternoon will discuss security and defence issues in view of the publication of a White Paper on defence by the European Commission in March.

The leaders will also have a working dinner with the British Prime Minister to discuss EU-UK relations.

The president will be accompanied by Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna, director of his press office Victoras Papadopoulos and other officials.

They will return to Cyprus after the dinner.