Press Releases

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, with the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom (UK), Sir Keir Starmer, who is paying a working visit to Cyprus, at the Presidential Palace, in Lefkosia.

Following a welcoming ceremony where the national guard paid honours and the national anthems were performed, the British Prime Minister laid a wreath at the monument of Archbishop Makarios III.

Welcoming the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, Sir Keir Starmer, President Christodoulides said: “It is a historic visit, which takes place fifty-three years since the last visit of a UK Prime Minister. Also, our meeting takes place two months after our meeting in Downing Street, and this is a clear testament of our strong political will to work together, to enhance our bilateral relations of defence, security, investment, trade, education, technology, at all levels.

You are visiting Cyprus during a period that we have major developments in our region. We will exchange notes and see how we can work together to create conditions of stability and security. Of course, we will discuss the European Union (EU)-United Kingdom (UK) relations, the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026 and the Cyprus problem. The UK is a guarantor power, is a penholder of the United Nations (UN) Security Council resolutions, and you have a special role to play for the resumption of talks and the solution of the Cyprus problem in line with the UN Security Council resolution. So, we have a number of very important issues to discuss and I look forward to our discussions. Welcome to Cyprus”.

On his part, Prime Minister Starmer said: “It is a real privilege to be here. And I am so pleased that having had our meeting in London in October, we were able to get this historic meeting together as quickly as we did. Please take it as a statement of my intent that our already strong relationship-partnership between our countries – strong historically, strong because of the ties that we have had people-to-people for many, many years, our common interests – could be taken to an even stronger level between us.

So, whether it is on the world issues that we face together, whether it is on trade and investment, energy, health, the very many issues where our countries were already working so closely together, the EU reset, there are so many things that we have to discuss.

But to have this opportunity to be here in your beautiful country and to have those discussions – [it is] historic, because it has been far too long since a Prime Minister has been here for discussions – I feel privileged to be here, to be the first Prime Minister for some time to sit here and have the opportunity to have those discussions with you and to take them to another level. So, I am much looking forward to renewing and strengthening the ties between our two countries”.

(RM/ΙΑ/GS)