Cyprus’ participation in Gaza Peace Board ‘carries no financial obligations’

Cyprus’ potential participation in the US-led Peace Council for Gaza does not entail any financial commitments or payments by the Republic, government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said.

In a statement to the Cyprus News Agency, Letymbiotis said President Nikos Christodoulides received an official invitation from the US President for Cyprus to join the Peace Board for Gaza, recognising the country’s role in the Middle East.

He added that Cyprus has received the invitation and is evaluating it “with seriousness, institutional responsibility and full awareness of its role and capabilities,” stressing that an official response will be issued once this process is completed.

Addressing claims suggesting the invitation carries financial obligations, Letymbiotis said they are “inaccurate and do not reflect the reality” of the invitation received.

“The invitation concerns participation as a member for a three-year period, with the possibility of renewal following a new invitation, and in no way entails any financial obligations or payments by the Republic of Cyprus,” he emphasised.

He clarified that references to other legal arrangements or permanent legal status are separate matters for states that wish to pursue them and “are neither directly nor indirectly related to the invitation received by our country. Any attempt to link Cyprus to such claims is unfounded and misleading.”

Letymbiotis also highlighted that the invitation itself explicitly recognises Cyprus’ role in the broader Middle East, which carries significant political weight, particularly as the recognition comes from the United States.

He described it as confirmation of the Republic’s growing international stature as a reliable, stable and responsible partner in promoting peace and cooperation.

“Cyprus approaches such initiatives pragmatically, based on its capacity to contribute meaningfully to stability and peace efforts, as it did at the international Gaza conference in Egypt, where it presented concrete and realistic proposals on how it could support the implementation of the twenty-point peace plan,” he said.

Letymbiotis concluded by noting that the evaluation process is ongoing and that Cyprus’ response will be guided solely by political, institutional and national criteria, “free from speculation or biases aimed at undermining an initiative that, at its core, recognises the country’s role and credibility in the international system and, specifically, in the geopolitically sensitive region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East.”