‘Some tried to prevent’ al-Sharaa’s participation in Cyprus summit
Efforts were made to prevent Syrian President Ahmed al-Sharaa from participating in last week’s summit of European and regional leaders in Nicosia, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Monday.
Al-Sharaa had, alongside Egyptian President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi, Lebanese President Joseph Aoun and Crown Prince Hussein of Jordan, attended last Friday’s informal European Council summit upon Christodoulides’ invite, with the latter telling reporters that “I consider the acceptance of our invitation important”.
“Although I had some information that some tried to prevent his participation in the European Council summit, he chose to be here, spoke publicly, and raised during the discussions how he sees the developments in the European Union’s relations in Syria,” he said.
He added that Cyprus, “as the European Union member state in the region, continues to play a substantial role oriented towards results”.
“This is what interests us. Results,” he said.
He had earlier said that “Syria is a neighbouring state to the Republic of Cyprus” and that “as part of our efforts to bring the European Union closer [to the region], of course, Syria is also included”.
Additionally, he had said that his Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos had been “the first foreign minister to visit Syria” after the fall of Bashar al-Assad, though while Kombos was among the first, visiting Damascus on February 20 last year. Turkey’s Hakan Fidan had visited the same city on December 22, 2024.
The incumbent Syrian government’s close relations with Turkey may offer an indication regarding the question of to whom Christodoulides was referring in his claims that “some” had tried to prevent al-Sharaa from visiting Cyprus.
Al-Sharaa’s second foreign visit as Syrian president was to Turkey, the first having been to Saudi Arabia.
During that visit, he had met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, and said that Turkey’s “honourable and positive support for the just cause of the Syrian people serves as a strong example of the brotherhood between the two countries”.
More recently, he attended this month’s Antalya diplomacy forum and held a bilateral meeting with Erdogan there.
Immediately after al-Sharaa came to power, strong ties between him and Turkey had fuelled fears in Greek and Greek Cypriot circles that the two countries may delineate their exclusive economic zones (EEZ) without consulting Cyprus and thus encroach on the Republic of Cyprus’ claim.
The fears arose after Turkish Transport Minister Abdulkadir Uraloglu made reference to such plans December 2024, though he walked his statements back on Christmas Eve that year, saying any such agreement would “take into account international law”.
Thus far, no such agreement has been forthcoming, though Turkish Energy Minister Alparslan Bayraktar said in December that he hoped one will be signed this year.