President Nikos Christodoulides is to address the European Parliament in Strasbourg on Tuesday, outlining the Cypriot government’s priorities for its six-month term as the holder of the Council of the European Union’s rotating presidency.

On Monday, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said that Christodoulides’ speech “will be based on the European responsibility assumed by the Republic of Cyprus as the southeasternmost tip of the union and the only European capital still under illegal occupation”.

As such, he said, Christodoulides will “underline that adherence to international law, respect for the sovereignty and integrity of all states – especially in light of recent developments at the European and international level – and the defence of fundamental European values is not an option but a prerequisite for the security, stability, and cohesion of the European Union”.

In this, he was referring to United States Donald Trump’s recent heightening of rhetoric regarding his demands that sovereignty over Greenland, held solely by Denmark since the Treaty of Kiel of 1812, be handed over to the US.

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Letymbiotis said that the EU’s steadfastness regarding Greenland must hold “in the same spirit as the European Union’s unwavering support for Ukraine against the Russian invasion and violation of international law, as an expression of European credibility and our collective responsibility towards peace and international legitimacy”.

He later said that in Christodoulides’ speech, “particular emphasis will be placed on Cyprus’ role as a bridge between the European Union and the wider eastern Mediterranean and Middle East region”.

This, he said, will “highlight the need for a more active, coherent, and strategic European presence in the region, for the benefit of stability, peace, and regional cooperation”.

He added that Christodoulides will also “highlight the importance of strengthening European competitiveness through investment in innovation, research, energy security, digital technology, and the green transition, so that Europe remains economically strong, socially fair, and geopolitically credible”.

“In the same context, the importance of protecting the union’s external borders with full respect for the rule of law and human rights will be highlighted, as well as the need to accelerate the green and digital transition, with social justice and with real benefit for the public,” he said.

He said that following Christodoulides’ speech, he will take comments and questions from members of the European Parliament, before holding a joint press conference with European Parliament president Roberta Metsola.

After that press conference, he said, he will hold a bilateral meeting with Metsola which will “focus on the close cooperation of the institutions [of the EU] during Cyprus’ term and the effective promotion of the European agenda”.

Metsola had said upon Cyprus’ undertaking of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency that the island’s term comes at a “pivotal moment for Europe”.

“Expectations are high. I know that Cyprus is fully prepared to take on this responsibility,” she told newspaper Politis.

She added that she has held “several meetings” with Christodoulides, and from those meetings garnered that “the serious preparation and focus on priorities” made by him and his government are “evident”.

“Cyprus brings valuable experience to the European table and is well placed to help guide the union on critical issues, from supporting Ukraine and promoting stability in the Middle East, to managing migration, strengthening energy resilience, and boosting Europe’s competitiveness,” she said.

Asked how Cyprus can during its six-month term strengthen the EU’s cohesion and effectiveness, she said that “frontline states often experience challenges earlier and more intensely”, and that as such, Cyprus can “build on this experience to strengthen cohesion”.