Christodoulides’s foreign policy and the petty critics

Source: in-cyprus.com

Yesterday afternoon, Nicos Christodoulides became the first President of the Republic of Cyprus in 28 years to cross the White House threshold and meet with the US President.

While the full details and behind-the-scenes aspects of yesterday’s meeting aren’t yet known, the day’s significance extends far beyond what was said behind closed doors in the Oval Office.

The importance of Joe Biden’s invitation to Nicos Christodoulides was evident from the moment it was announced. It’s no coincidence that this happened now, with this particular President of the Republic, rather than at any point in previous years. While the geopolitical developments in the broader Middle East certainly contributed to this timing, this context only adds to the invitation’s significance, precisely because it indicates recognition of the role Cyprus can play in the region during this critical period.

This recognition is certainly a consequence of the Government’s foreign policy, which builds upon the foundations laid in the previous decade when the first steps towards Cyprus-US rapprochement were taken. Indeed, Nicos Christodoulides, as Foreign Minister during Nicos Anastasiades’ second five-year term, worked extensively to build this cooperative relationship, initially by including the US in the trilateral partnerships developed with Greece and Israel.

A series of developments followed, leading up to yesterday’s meeting – from the lifting of the arms embargo to the agreement on visa-free travel for Cypriots visiting the US. A crucial reference point, of course, has been the initiative for the humanitarian corridor to Gaza, which the Republic of Cyprus developed and which proved it could play a meaningful regional role.

Why mention all this? The results of yesterday’s meeting will become apparent in the coming period. However, the invitation itself was a momentous development, culminating in efforts to highlight our country’s geostrategic role in the region. Whether some like it or not, the foreign policy of Nicos Christodoulides’ government, thanks also to the quiet but crucial role of Constantinos Kombos, is delivering tangible results. While there may be daily reasons to criticise Christodoulides and his government on domestic governance issues, we must simultaneously acknowledge that regarding foreign policy, he has achieved positive results for the country.

This is why any attempt to downplay the President’s US trip in recent days has been unfortunate and borders on pettiness – particularly when such dismissive comments come from individuals who trumpet the need for a clearly Western-oriented foreign policy. Well, this invitation and trip were proof of the recognition of Christodoulides’ clear policy direction.

Particularly interesting was the statement by Turkish MP and CHP foreign policy spokesperson Namık Tan, who, while expressing concerns about what the Republic of Cyprus might gain from this trip, noted that “Christodoulides has a favourable profile in the US” and that the Republic of Cyprus “is no longer considered a centre for money laundering“.

He even characterised Christodoulides’ trip as a disaster for Turkish foreign policy, noting that “Turkey’s eagerness to act as Hamas’s protector and Hezbollah’s representative provides Greece and ‘the Greek Cypriot administration of southern Cyprus’ (as he refers to the Government of the Republic of Cyprus) with opportunities they’ve been seeking, and forces the US and EU to reconsider their policies in the Eastern Mediterranean”.

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