YouSaid · the spoken record

Nikos Christodoulides

lines on the record
59
first
2025-06-29
most recent
2025-06-29
sittings or episodes
1
sources
podcast

Every line below is reproduced as it was said and linked to the record it came from. Nothing here is summarised or generated. Directory · Search · Corrections

  1. “Of course, I'm not in favor of colonization. I mean, I don't want to close with unhappy note, but one of the reasons of the Cyprus problem today is divide and rule policy of the British colonization era. But at the same time, I'm very glad that at least I can have this discussion with the British Prime Minister. For 10 years, twenty years, that was impossible.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  2. “They have a responsibility for this region. We're working together with the UK and France in order to raise awareness about the importance of this.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  3. “Thank you very much, first of all, that for the interview, but also for dealing with this region. And as I said before, it's very important that the UK is back of the region because UK, First and France secondly, they have a responsibility for this region.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  4. “We are going to work. And okay, I will mention also this publicly. We are planning also to invite the British Foreign Minister during Gimnik and also the European EU Minister during the NGIMIC. Gimnik is the informal meeting of the Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the European Union because we need to work together with the UK and we are very glad that we see this positive reaction from the new British government. I was Sherpa Jure. Sherpa is the advisor of the President for EU Affairs and I was Sherpa during the Brexit. And I remember I don't criticize the government back then, but I remember the government back then saying that the remain vote would be 60-70%. That was the message in Brussels.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  5. “For the UK one, for the UK, any Brexit benefit. Not a single one. I fully respect the will of the British people, but I was against Brexit. It is a loose loose situation both for the UK and the European Union, and that's why I'm very glad that we start again working together.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  6. “The most important is the state sovereignty. I still believe on the role of the state, so the most important is the state sovereignty. Regarding how we'll do this and how we'll reach that stage, I don't aspire Cyprus to play the leading role. We are not the country that we can impose to anybody. But we need to understand, and I really believe this, we are living in a new international order. And I can speak on behalf also of the European Union as a European Union. We have a special role to play and we can bring all different actors you mentioned, United States, China, Russia, other actors we can bring all the actors together to sit together and discuss and agree the way forward. This is the real power, I believe, of the European Union.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  7. “No, I'm talking about the Arab Spring and the Arab winter. I remember back then everybody celebrating about the Arab Spring. Libya is because of Syria. All the countries of the region. I mean, we cannot impose, we pass the colonial, we cannot impose in any country. We need to work with the countries of the region.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  8. “The neighbor of my country, Iran, whether the neighbor of your country is Denmark. So as a European Union, I'm going back to the European Union. That is why we need to raise awareness. We know this region as a European Union and the West in general, to criticize also the West. Whenever we want to sell, we want to sell military weapons. We know these countries. We go to those countries of the region that are rich. But at the same time, we are the first to criticize them. We need to have an honest relationship with the countries of the region and work together.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  9. “Of their region. So, with the Arab Spring, the West, and I'm in favor of the West, don't get me wrong, we were under the impression that we will change the region in a Western democracy. Sorry, this is the Gulf, this is the Middle East, and you need to know. I will mention one example. I was in SA Minister of Foreign Affairs, Association Council of European Union with Jordan, and all the ministers of foreign affairs, we were there together with my then colleague, he's still the foreign minister of Jordan Ayman. And one of my colleagues from Scandinavian country, he was Pushing him, you need to change these and women's rights, LGBTI, a lot of issues that for a Western democracy, you know, they were very, very valid points. You know what was his reaction? Before you dictate to me what they have to do for my country. Need to see geography.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  10. “Will answer even though I will disappoint Alistair. The failures of the region and whatever you describe is not because of the region. It's because of the international community. It's because of the Arab Spring, which turned to be an Arab winter in this region. And I see this also in a number of discussions that we have in the European Union, in Brussels. We are discussing about Egypt, for example. Egypt, a country that has a lot of challenges. They have certain things that we don't like. We don't have it in Europe. And you know what is the position of some of my colleagues? We need to go and impose to Egypt this and this and this. But is it possible to impose in a country of 100 million people to change? They need to have the ownership of the change. And that's what we are trying to do with the countries.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  11. “Talking with them, knowing them very well, and also at the level of the people, it's not only Netanyahu. Do you see someone from the opposition being against what's going on with Iran in Israel?”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  12. “Very, very disappointed, and the worst development is that nobody is discussing gas Everybody's discussing Iran and Israel, and we have kids dying every day in Gaza.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  13. “No, we're still working on this. And recently, of course, recently I went to Israel and Palestine. I visited Prime Minister Netanyahu. I visited President Abbas. And we're working with the Miradis, especially with the Miradis, to send humanitarian assistance not directly to Gaza, but to Ashtov, the port there, in order to be sent in Gaza.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  14. “And the bridge, actually, the Brits, they were the first. Thank you for the correction. They were the first one to send ship from Cyprus to Israel. But we did it. It was the first time that Cyprus became internationally known for positive news.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  15. “Exactly. And you know, following the terrorist attack of Hamas in Israel, October 2023, we developed in Cyprus this idea of the humanitarian corridor to send humanitarian assistance from Cyprus to Gaza. Gaza was under Israeli blockade for 17 years. And I remember I went to Paris, President Macron organized a Gaza Forum, peace forum. And I went there with my Minister of Foreign Affairs. It was end of October, beginning of November. And I presented this idea of the humanitarian corridor. Nobody was interested. Nobody. And we start working with the Miradis and the Americans.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  16. “In Cyprus, we used to have the impression that we are the center of the world. We used to think that everyone A number of discussions with foreign leaders, either ministers of foreign affairs or presidents, and then becoming a politician. I fully understand that for a small country, first of all, you need to be relevant in the international assist. The United States or the UK will not help us to solve the Cyprus problem if this is not the benefit of the United States or the UK. So in order to understand the Brits and the Americans that they have an interest to solve the Cyprus problem, they need first to see that they have an interest from a functional, reliable, predictable government and country in this very important region. So we fully change our foreign policy. You know, when I'm going to Brussels, I need to intervene in all issues and not only when I hear the word Turkey. Otherwise, nobody...”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  17. “It is a good thing. As a president, I don't get involved in not the politics, the business of the church, they should not get involved in politics. The Archbishop is talking publicly a number of times, positioning the church on issues, that I disagree with him. And when I meet him, I say, you know, I disagree with this issue at the end of the day, I need to decide.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  18. “Not because of the power of the church, I believe in faith, I believe in church because of my personal experience. For example, I lost my brother at the age of 50. My religious was very important for me to pass through these very difficult Moment. The role of church in Cyprus is not the same that it used to be before 10 years, before 20 years, before 30 years. And the church in Cyprus used to have a powerful role because the church led the and the liberation struggle against the UK, against the British. And that is why our first president was the Archbishop of Cyprus for 17 years. But the role of church is getting less and less important.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  19. “Using our country through the international arena. Recently, I was in a roadshow in New York, Texas and Silicon Valley to bring investment, US investment in Cyprus. Back in 2013, the major shell hortice of our banks, they were Russians. Today the major shareholders of our banks are Americans. I will ask you to check the last report from Manibal. What they are saying about Cyprus and all the measures that we did. So I'm proud for the fact that we faced this huge challenge of corruption in my country and we are following a new path.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  20. “Our position on the Russian Ukraine was very easy because we were facing the similar situation like Ukraine. But on the issue of corruption, I will be fully honest with you. We did serious mistake as a country. We left our past behind. You know, when I became president in 2023, I had a case with an international media that was saying about Cyprus, corruption, and etc. I called the Americans and I told them, I need a team from FBI that they don't have any link in Cyprus to send it in Cyprus to support me, to clean with all those cases in Cyprus. And I was grateful that the United States replied immediately. They sent me a team in Cyprus. We clean all cases and now we reintroduce”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  21. “Some things cannot be said publicly. We are starting from the issues that we agree in order to reach the issues that we disagree.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  22. “It is an issue of disagreement. We don't agree. In a number of cases that we're discussing the Cyprus problem, I mean, let's go back in 2004. It was the first time that we have a plan that was put for the people in a referendum to vote for the solution of the Cyprus problem. The British bases, we are part of the deal.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  23. “Exactly, which this is very important. He's in power for how long. We met three times, two in London and one in Cyprus. and we are working very closely together, very closely together, and putting now my heart as a leader of an EU member state. We are very glad that we see a new page in the EU UK relationship.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  24. “Look, we have a love and hate relationship with the UK, but I have to admit that I'm very happy with the way the new prime minister is handling the situation. You know that the new UK Prime Minister was the first one to visit Cyprus after 53 years in a bilateral visit. After 53 years and He arrived Cyprus through the Larnaca air”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  25. “The bases are the result of the colonization of Cyprus by the UK. There is a disagreement between Cyprus and the UK on the issue of sovereign basis or not. They consider, you consider the UK government considers the basis as sovereign. We don't consider the basis sovereign British area. We have this disagreement.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  26. “I'm coming from the Liberal Party, but I'm not a neoliberalist. I'm a social liberalist. I'm more than the third way of Tony Blair. The state has certain responsibilities on health, on education to provide its people the same service.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  27. “The reason I think that I succeeded is the fact that they went to the people. I visited all villages, old towns in the free areas of the Republic. I discussed with the people. They felt that, and that was very rightly, I felt that I was one of them. We prepared, I prepared my program talking with the people, and I was elected.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  28. “It was the first time actually in the history of the Republic of Cyprus that someone that didn't have the support of the two big parties was elected.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  29. “Same time the leader of my party wanted to run for a president. So they wanted me to make a decision by in January 2022 to go publicly out and say that I support the leader of the party. And I wasn't in a position to do it because during that time I didn't take the decision to run for president. But they want me to do this statement. I said, I can't do it. I quit. And I started going to the people, discussing with the people. Moving from party politics to people politics.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  30. “It is not very popular, not only in Cyprus, but in Europe in general, to be a politician nowadays. So, yes, I was a young diplomat. I started my career from London. It was the best place to start your career as a diplomat dealing with diplomats in the foreign office. Then I moved to Athens, I moved to Brussels. Brussels was a great school being there as a spokesperson of the first Cyprus presidency. When the former president was elected, the minister of foreign affairs, that he was appointed, he asked me to come in Cyprus director of his office and diplomatic advisor of the president and Sherpa. I was there during Brexit. I can give you a lot of details that you can use. I'm sure that you have more insight information than myself. And when I became a minister of foreign affairs, I was getting this encouragement from the people to run for president.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  31. “I witness a change. I have to admit this. It was impossible even in international fora when we were approaching Turkish politicians to talk to us, even to talk to us. And my message when I met, I saw Mr. Ertugan, it was in Albania during the APC meeting, the European political community, was that we need to sit together and discuss. We are in favor, and that was my first message, we are in favor of Turkey coming closer to the European Union. We are ready to discuss the cast of union, that it is an issue of great importance for Turkey. We are ready to discuss the visa liberalization issue, which is very important for Turkey. But we need to start discussing together.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  32. “Is between Cyprus and Turkey and is related with the role that Turkey wants to play in this neighborhood. And you can listen to President Erdogan and some neo-Ottoman statements that some policies that not only Cyprus but also the countries of the region they don't like.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  33. “First of all, Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots, they don't have any problem. You know that before 2003, it wasn't possible to cross from the three areas of the Republic to the occupied areas. In 2003, the then Turkish Cypriot leader Raf Dektash, who was a hardliner in favor of the two state solution, was obliged because of the prospect of Cyprus joining the European Union in six months in 2004 to open the crossing points in the three areas and the areas under the control of Turkey. He was under the impression that in one week Greek Cypriots and Turkey Cypriots will kill each other and he will prove his point that look we cannot live together so the two-state solution is the only solution on the Cyprus problem. It didn't happen. There is no problem between Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  34. “There are no frozen conflicts, the situation might change in one day. Look what's happened in Gaza, for example, or in Ukraine. My country cannot reach its full potential without a Cyprus having access to the Turkish market. You know that the ships are bearing the Cypriot flag cannot reach the Turkish ports. Imagine all those positive developments through the solution of the Cyprus problem. And a lot of other benefits for Czech. I mean, we can reach a win-win situation. But going to the European Union, most of the issues that we are discussing at the table of the negotiations, the solutions are in the European Union, are in the European membership union, the best safety for both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots is being member of the European Union.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  35. “But since 2004 in Cyprus, we have a new factor that it changes everything. Exactly. The whole of Ireland joined the European Union, but the implementation of the Aikig was suspended in the areas not under the effective control of the Republic of Cyprus. I was part of the last negotiating process in 2017 that we came very close to the solution of the Cyprus.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  36. “That it's not easy. I give you the example with the Syrian regime. We start lifting the sanctions in a step-by-step approach. If they deliver, we deliver.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  37. “The uniqueness about Cyprus, it is a geographical position. We are predictable, reliable country in a region of great geopolitical importance, and you can see with the development, but also a lot of other factors. We are a member state of the European Union, and at the same time we are part of the European Union. We can have some lessons from Northern Ireland, but it is indifferent situation in Cyprus. In order, and I really believe this, because my alternatives to sit here and say about international law, human rights, etc., which I don't, I mean, I fully understand how important are, but because we are living in this anarchico, we need to find a ways for the countries to see the incentives by working together.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  38. “Our capabilities. If we can safeguard this, it means that Israel doesn't have to worry. At the same time for Iran to do it, some things will take place in Iran.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  39. “How are politics and the incentives to the countries that are involved in order to see the benefit out of a political solution and not a military solution? I'm not expecting and I'm not naive. I'm coming again to Cyprus that Turkey will recognize the legality of the invasion of the occupation. He'll say, oh, sorry, we violated the human rights in Cyprus and we are leaving Cyprus and we apologize. Unfortunately, we are living in an anarchic world. Turkey will solve the Cyprus problem only if the benefits out of the solution are much more important than the benefits Turkey is getting from the current situation. The same with Iran and Israel. Only if they see the benefits out of the political solution in this case. Can we control, for example, to be specific that Iran will not have a nuclear”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  40. “We are trying. We are supporting the efforts of the international community. We are trying our best, but in order to solve the problem in our region. Unfortunately, it's not going to be solved based on international law.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  41. “You only need to criticize okay or criticize all of them. I don't have any problem. First of all, in case that Iran has the capabilities for nuclear weapons, my country is in danger also. We are 30 minutes away from Israel, so you can imagine what is going to happen in Cyprus. At the same time, those that intervene from far away, they need to take other consideration, the consequences from the countries of the region. So, of course, I can criticize. But when you are in politics, the easiest thing to do is to criticize. The most difficult is to find solutions. When we are here and we have responsibility towards our people, to find solutions.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  42. “Of course, and that is why we have excellent relations with Israel. Israel is our closest ally in the region, but at the same time, we recognize Palestine. At the same time, we are in favor of the two-state solution, because a one-state solution cannot be a solution in the Palestine issue for small countries. I mean international law is a kind of a safety net. But I'm not the one, and it's not my country that is interpreting exactly.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  43. “America or about just avoiding and I don't have the small country my biggest and strongest tool is international law. I don't have an army to impose to Turkey. To leave Cyprus.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  44. “I'd give you an example. No, unfortunately, that's why we're going to a different path. Let's discuss Ukraine. We have the Russian invasion in Ukraine, right? And the international community very correctly criticizing Russia. Why we don't the same criticism from what Turkey is doing to Cyprus? The international law at the end of the day is interpreted based on the power of the country that is interpreting the international law. Unfortunately, what is the difference between”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  45. “My question to your three questions is all of us have the same understanding of legality, international legality today. Do we have the”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  46. “The third point, and I finish with the European Union. We are in a process of changing as a European Union. We are changing because of international developments. As a European Union, we are fully dependent on our security on the United States, fully dependent on energy from Russia, and fully independent on raw materials from China. How can we be and geopolitical European Union with a strong role today?”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  47. “Course, we can ask Turkey to be here, this administration also change its approach towards Turkey. For example, we are in favor of having substantial progress on the EU-Turkey relationship. I told you, we cannot change geography. I prefer to have a neighbor that is close to European Union instead of neighbor that follows other dangerous path. So in our argument, and I will finish with the European Union, in Brussels, and I'm going on Wednesday, and the issue of the Middle East is also in our agenda, and I have some talks with my colleagues before going there. If we want to have a geopolitical European Union, you need to be at the same time to be in a position to deal with Ukraine, but also with the Middle East. I fully understand the importance of Ukraine, the security issues of Ukraine. But if we cannot have also a role in this region, which at the end of the day, the neighborhood of the European Union, we should not aspire a geopolitical role and something else.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  48. “All the countries of the Gulf, also India, and also our neighbors here, Jordan, Egypt, if Czech wants to come, we are more than happy to host also the Turkish president. As I told you, we cannot change geography.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  49. “Thank you very, very much for your question. You very correctly described the situation with the European Union. We are absent from the region. And that is why during our presidency that starts on January 1st, 2026 is to bring the European Union closer to the region. And that is why to give you also something which is not known, on April 23rd we are planning to organize in Cyprus a meeting of the 27 leaders of the European Union with all the leaders of the countries in the region in Cyprus. And we are working not just to have a very nice declaration, to have substantial”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source

  50. “They will use this situation, they will use the Palestinian issue in order to create this very dangerous situation in our region. So we need, and this is something also positive for the UK, if I can mention it now. We are very glad that we see the UK back in the region. Not in a colonial approach. I'm not talking about a neocolonial approach. I'm talking working together with the region. Our region has a lot of problems, has a lot of challenges. But at the same time, as I told you, there are a lot of promises. And the changes that they need to take place in our region, the countries of the region, they need to have the ownership of the change, not try to impose. And to tell you the truth, it goes difficult for us and the European Union. I can talk also on behalf of the European Union. Following Brexit, the fact that the UK, sorry, it was absent from the international developments.”

    2025-06-29 · The Rest Is Politics: Leading · 141. The President of Cyprus: Iran, Israel, and the Cyprus Issue (Nikos Christodoulides) · IDENTIFIED FROM THE TRANSCRIPT · source