Cyprus House President Annita Demetriou stood before the Greek Parliament in Athens on Tuesday and delivered one of the ...

Cyprus House President Annita Demetriou stood before the Greek Parliament in Athens on Tuesday and delivered one of the sharpest defenses of Cypriot sovereignty in recent memory, warning that Greek Cypriots cannot be reduced to a minority in their own homeland. Demetriou addressed the Hellenic Parliament's plenary session, describing Greece and Cyprus as neighboring European democracies sitting on what she called "the most sensitive edge of Europe." She laid out a sweeping agenda covering defense, energy, regional security, and the future of the EU itself. On Turkey, she was direct but pointed toward incentives over conflict. She said Turkey has far more to gain from regional cooperation than from aggression, but made clear she sees the current situation as unacceptable. She called explicitly for the withdrawal of occupying troops from Cyprus, the termination of guarantee treaties, and the abolition of any interventionist rights over the island. On European defense spending, Demetriou drew a hard line. She said it is inconceivable that European money for armaments would end up supporting a country that maintains occupation troops on European soil and threatens war against an EU member state, an unmistakable reference to Turkey's potential access to joint EU defense procurement funds. She welcomed the EU's SAFE defense program and called for deeper Greece-Cyprus defense cooperation, alongside partnerships with France, the United States, Israel, Egypt, India, and Gulf states. She also expressed appreciation for Greece's recent deployment of aircraft and naval assets to Cyprus during an unspecified security threat, calling it operationally and symbolically important. On energy, Demetriou highlighted the Great Sea Interconnector project as a priority that could end Cyprus' energy isolation and better integrate the Eastern Mediterranean into European energy markets. She closed with a call for Europe to move from what she described as "a Europe of embarrassment to a Europe of determination," with faster decision-making, stronger solidarity, and real defense capability. #Cyprus #Greece #EasternMediterranean