Just a couple of hours before Cyprus officially assumes the EU presidency on Wednesday, Nikos Christodoulides hosted a meeting at the presidential palace with the participation of the presidents of the European Commission and the EU council, Ursula von der Leyen and Antonio Costa, with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy.

The only topic on the agenda is the Ukrainian war.

Zelenskiy was the first to arrive, followed by von der Leyen and Costa, all of whom were given a red-carpet welcome by Christodoulides, who said this was an important day and that Cyprus was ready to cooperate during its presidency for an autonomous EU, open to the world.

“I am very glad to have Ursula, Antonio, Volodymyr in Cyprus in this very, very important day for Cyprus. As I very often publicly say, the accession to the EU was the most important development in Cyprus since 1960 and we are very proud to have the presidency of the Council. We will do our utmost, we are ready to deliver and to work together with the Commission, the EU Parliament in order to have an autonomous EU open to the world,” he said.

Christodoulides held a separate meeting with Costa to coordinate work on European priorities for the next six months, with an aim to secure the bloc’s cohesion against international challenges.

The president also met with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun, focusing on stability in the eastern Mediterranean and strengthening channels of cooperation.

Tight security outside the Thoc building on Wednesday

The meetings preceded the official ceremony in Nicosia, which is being held amid tight security, including snipers positioned since earlier in the day on surrounding buildings.