Dec 17, 2025, 10:26Dec 17, 2025, 10:26
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulidis wants to end the decades-long stalemate in the conflict with Turkey by bringing his country closer to NATO. There are said to have already been discussions about this.
Nikos Christodoulidis has been President of Cyprus since 2023.Image: www.imago-images.de
In an interview with the newspaper Politico, Christodoulidis proposed a “step-by-step” model according to which the politically divided Mediterranean island should first join the defense alliance’s Partnership for Peace (PFP) as a preliminary step to full membership.
If Cyprus joined NATO, only Ireland, Malta and Austria would be neutral within the European Union. As a result of Russia’s war of aggression in Ukraine, the Nordic countries Sweden and Finland joined NATO.
NATO member Türkiye has occupied the northern part of Cyprus since 1974. After a political change in the internationally unrecognized Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus, there is new hope for the reunification of the island, which is fully part of the European Union under international law.
Conversations with Rutte and Merz
In return for NATO integration, the Greek Cypriot island should end the blockade of Turkey’s EU rapprochement. In this regard, there have recently been signals from Germany that it wants to resume accession talks with Ankara, which have been on hold for years.
NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.Image: keystone
Christodoulidis described Cyprus’s accession to NATO as a “natural development” that had not yet come about for political reasons – primarily due to the mutual blockades. He has already discussed his proposal with NATO Secretary General Mark Rutte and German Chancellor Friedrich Merz.
Cyprus will take over the EU Council Presidency in the first half of 2026 and will therefore also play a key role in the EU accession process. However, it remains unclear what a solution to the Cyprus conflict could look like. Several attempts have failed and both sides have become entrenched in recent years. (sda/apa)
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