European Affairs Deputy Minister Marilena Raouna on Monday praised the European Union’s unity and resolve in light of United States President Donald Trump’s demands that Denmark hand over sovereignty of Greenland to his country.

“The EU acted with unity, with resolve, demonstrating that even in the most challenging of circumstances, it remains committed to being a union that upholds international legality, territorial integrity, sovereignty and integrity,” she said at the European general affairs council meeting in Brussels.

She added that the values exhibited by the EU “are values very close to the heart of Cyprus, the EU member state that still experiences occupation and violation of its territorial integrity and sovereignty”.

To this end, she said that the EU’s strategic autonomy is the necessary next step in our European integration process.

“It is about building up our ability to act independently whenever necessary and cooperate with our partners whenever possible. We are more valuable to our partners if we are a stronger union,” she said.

She also said that relations with the US are absolutely indispensable, but stressed that “we sent a very clear message of unity and determination on behalf of the union” in response to the heightening of Trump’s rhetoric last week.

“While remaining firm on our principles, we need to continue on a path of dialogue and diplomacy,” she said, before adding that in light of these geoeconomic and geopolitical developments, the central principle and goal of Cyprus’ six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency is “more pertinent than ever”.

“We will work for a European Union that is more autonomous and open to the world. This means a European Union that is able to act independently whenever necessary and cooperate with its partners through a network of cooperation whenever possible. The European Union is and will remain a reliable, stable, predictable, trustworthy partner on the international stage,” she said.

Her comments came after Christodoulides denied that relations between the EU and the US had been “irreparably damaged” by Trump’s rhetoric, stressing that the EU is “here to de-escalate, not to escalate”.

He added that the EU is “here to find a positive way forward, without, of course, undermining the territorial integrity or sovereignty of any member state”.

To this end, he stressed that Cyprus and the EU have “full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark”.

“The Republic of Cyprus knows better than any other member state what a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity means,” he said.

Like Raouna, he said that developments regarding Greenland have “confirmed … the need for what we have set as a goal” for Cyprus’ six-month term – “the need for autonomy”.