President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has said that European leaders will discuss at the Informal European Council to be convened in Nicosia 23-24 of April, about the actions of the European Union in the event of the activation of Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty by a member state.

In his statements on Sunday to the Municipal Television of Thessaloniki, after his proclamation as Honorary Citizen of the Municipality of Thessaloniki, President Christodoulides said that he has agreed with the President of the European Council and the President of the European Commission that they will discuss during the Informal Council to be held in Nicosia about Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty and “what exactly the EU does in the event of its activation by a member state”.

Asked whether Cyprus feels safe today, the President replied that “Cyprus is a safe destination. Everyday life continues as normal. Cyprus is part of the geography of the region. It is in no way part of the crisis in the region.”

He noted that any involvement Cyprus has is focused on cooperating with states within the EU, in the framework of the Cyprus Presidency, but also with third states, “in order to achieve the main objective. The main objective at the moment is the de-escalation of the crisis”.

President Christodoulides stressed that there are some international initiatives underway adding that ‘so far, they have not brought any results, but we are working towards having a positive result, which cannot be other than the de-escalation of the crisis”.

Asked whether the crisis raises the issue of Cyprus joining NATO, President Christodoulides said that “as far as the issue of NATO is concerned, we are ready, I have conveyed this desire to the NATO Secretary General himself, that as soon as the political conditions are in place, Cyprus should become a member state.”

He explained that the term “political conditions” refers to the lifting of Turkey’s right of veto.

Beyond that, he noted, the crisis also highlighted the role of the EU. “It was not only the strong first reaction from Greece, we also saw France, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands. In essence, without having activated Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty, we saw it being activated,” he stressed.

The President noted that at the Informal European Council to be held in Nicosia on April 23-24, “I have agreed with the President of the Council and the President of the Commission that we will discuss Article 42.7 of the EU Treaty and what exactly the EU does in the event of its activation by a member state.”