President Nikos Christodoulides held a meeting with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia ahead of the opening ceremony of Cyprus’ EU Council presidency on Wednesday.

“It is our fifth meeting since your election, which is a clear indication not only of our personal friendship but also of the level of relations between our countries,” Christodoulides said.

He added that the strengthening of the EU’s relations with Lebanon is one of the key priorities during the Republic’s EU Council presidency, emphasising the intention to initiate talks between the EU and Lebanon.

“You can be sure that Cyprus will play a leading role in this direction and we will do whatever it takes to start a discussion on a comprehensive and strategic agreement,” he said.

As part of these aims, European Council President Antonio Costa and European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen are set to visit to Lebanon in the following week.

Von der Leyen had paid her first visit to Lebanon together with Christodoulides in May 2024.

In late November 2025, Christodoulides and Aoun signed a “milestone agreement” to sign a delimitation agreement of the bilateral Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ), which had been laid on ice since 2007, ending almost two decades of discussions on the latter

Christodoulides had described the signing of the agreement as a “a strong, political message that Cyprus and Lebanon, on the basis of international law, relevant United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and of course good neighbourly relations, continue to invest in strengthening trust and mutual respect”, announcing plans for future cooperation between the Republic and Lebanon.

Aoun will also attend the opening ceremony of Cyprus EU Council ceremony, held in Nicosia on Wednesday evening.