Press Releases

I am distinctly honoured to be part of celebrating the 248^th anniversary of the Independence of the United States of America (USA). 

I cannot speak for the Americans in the crowd, but I can ask on behalf of the Cypriots and the rest of us here tonight: What is it exactly that we are celebrating, beyond the birth of an independent, sovereign nation? 

As many of you know, I have ties to the United States (US). I studied and lived there. I have family there. But my story is not exceptional – quite the opposite. America has always been a country of aspirants, of those who dream; “Your tired, your poor, your huddled masses yearning to breathe free,” as the Statue of Liberty reminds us. 

I, like so many others before and after me, yearned to breathe and to think freely. Through America’s exceptionalism, that gift is bestowed to those who seek it. 

248 years ago, America renounced monarchy and class, static blood lines for upward mobility. Has it been a perfect success? Of course not, but it is an awesome experiment, one which still, I believe, captures the imagination of the entire world. 

For 248 years, we celebrate that there is still nothing quite like it; the USA, the land of opportunity.

Had I stayed in America after my studies, which feels like it was about 248 years ago by now, I would be a proud Cypriot-American. It does not really work the other way. If you go from Cyprus and live in America for 20 years, you become a Cypriot-American. If you come from America and live in any other country for 20 years, 30 years or more, you will always be an American expat. 

America absorbs and becomes stronger for it. Maybe that is the project toward which we, in Europe, are still building, and why America cannot stop fascinating and beckoning us to join its inclusive identity, which has withstood two and half centuries and counting. 

Today, we celebrate all that the 4^th of July symbolises for the US, for the world; its universality. It is also a pertinent moment of celebration of the ever-expanding friendship between the US and Cyprus. Never has our partnership been stronger. Never has the bond between our countries and our peoples been truer and more valuable. 

As a historian by training, I instinctively, retrospectively trace and assess. As a politician, my solemn task is to place building blocks for the future, for the generations to come. 

And so, since the independence of Cyprus in 1960, it is fair to say that our bilateral relations have witnessed tectonic changes. They have transformed entirely. This remarkable transformation has had a profound impact, well beyond the boundaries of the two countries and our bilateral relations, but also in the region of the Eastern Mediterranean. 

The foundations of our partnership are solid. They are value based: democracy, rule of law, human rights. Respect for sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity. 

There have been distinct milestones in the trajectory of our relations. In 2018, as Foreign Minister, I signed the Statement of Intent, which both signalled and sealed the elevation of our relations to a level they had never reached before. The 2018 Statement of Intent has served as our spring board for a continuously ever-growing partnership. 

In 2019, the significant Eastern Mediterranean Security and Energy Partnership Act followed. And in the same year, we inaugurated the participation of the United States in the trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Israel and Greece. 

In January 2021, together with the acting US Secretary of Homeland Security at the time, I had the privilege to hold the ground-breaking ceremony of the “Cyprus Center for Land, Open-Seas and Port Security” (CYCLOPS). This was a point of culmination in our security cooperation, serving not just our two countries but also this vital region of the world, the Eastern Mediterranean. 

Its inauguration symbolised the expanding cooperation between Cyprus and the US from security to regional cooperation, trade and investment, and last, but certainly not least, people to people contacts. 

CYCLOPS is essentially an integral part of our common vision for a peaceful and prosperous greater Middle East. 

This common vision has translated into tangible action that is saving civilian lives. Our partnership, Cyprus and the US, together with the European Union (EU) and others, has delivered the Cyprus Maritime Corridor, the “Amalthea” initiative, for the delivery of humanitarian assistance to Gaza. I wish to reiterate our deep appreciation to all US administration agencies for working together with the Cypriot authorities as well as to all other key partners involved in this collective humanitarian effort to deliver desperately needed humanitarian aid to the civilians in Gaza. 

In the past, we have also worked together as Cyprus became an evacuation centre for Americans and Europeans at times of instability and war in our neighbourhood. Cyprus has historically been a safe haven in the region and with Amalthea, a regional humanitarian hub. 

Cyprus, the EU’s lighthouse in the Eastern Mediterranean, will decisively continue to be part of the solutions to the problems of the region. A force for peace and stability, a humanitarian facilitator, a country that assumes its moral responsibilities and aspires to a brighter future for our region and for all of our neighbours. 

The deepening of our bilateral relations across the whole spectrum of our cooperation has continued to be a priority since day one of my mandate as President. Together with the truly outstanding US Ambassador to Cyprus, my dear friend Julie Fisher – whose contribution to the US-Cyprus relations cannot be overstated – we have set out a roadmap for decisively further bolstering our relations. And step by step, we are delivering. 

2024 marks a historic milestone for our bilateral cooperation and only paves the way for more milestones in 2025. 

On 17 June 2024, in Washington DC, Foreign Minister Kombos and US Secretary of State Blinken launched the structured Strategic Dialogue between Cyprus and the US. The establishment of the Strategic Dialogue is a highly significant development that epitomises the joint commitment to this partnership, the alignment of the interests of our two countries in securing stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean. An alignment which is solidly based on an unshakable value based common denominator: our shared norms and values in democracy and the rule of law. 

Looking ahead, Cyprus and the US have so much to look forward to. Significant developments in the further deepening of our ever-growing partnership are underway, through continued cooperation, including in the areas of economy and investment, security and defence, rule of law, innovation, science, technology, research, and expanded cultural and educational exchanges. 

On security and defence cooperation, I cannot stress enough the importance of the US full lifting of the arms embargo on Cyprus, as well as to emphasise the need to continue working, so that the arms prohibitions become permanent. 

As Julie and I often discuss, it is vital that the unprecedented collaboration between our governments has a tangible effect on people to people ties. Enhancing trade and investment, education and people to people contacts is top of our list and we are focusing and working hard on delivering also in this all-important field. 

Underpinning the growing partnership between Cyprus and the US is a strategic commitment to stability and peace. In standing by Cyprus as we exert all efforts possible for reunification, the US stands for international legality. It stands for peace and ending 50 years of division and occupation. 

Reunifying my country and its people, ensuring that Cyprus remains a force of stability in a turbulent region, is and will remain my main priority as President of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, I am working closely and intensively with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General Envoy, Ms Holguín, as we consistently and continuously make every possible effort to resume the talks from the point where they have been interrupted, in line with the only possible basis, the one outlined in the United Nations Security Council Resolutions (UNSCR) that call for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined in the UNSCRs. 

As we come together to celebrate the universal message and symbolism of the 4^th of July, we have so much to be proud of in what we have jointly achieved in Cyprus-US relations. More so because we have achieved so much in the face of adversity for both our region and the world. Cyprus has proven to be a credible and reliable partner, one with a strong moral compass. This is the path we will continue to walk as trusted partners, delivering for our countries and our citizens. 

Thank you, Ambassador Fisher, dear Julie, for your warm hospitality on this beautiful evening of togetherness. 

Happy Independence Day!

For the address of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, click here.

(RM/GS/EP)