The President of the Republic of Cyprus was welcomed today (08.03.2025) at the Maximos Mansion by Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, with developments in the Cyprus issue and investments in European defense taking center stage during their meeting. At the start of the tete-a-tete with Nicos Christodoulides and referring to the recent European Council in Brussels, Mitsotakis highlighted decisions that justify Greece’s position regarding the need for more investments from member states in defense, as well as the protection of all Union borders. Regarding the Cyprus issue, the prime minister praised the efforts of the President of the Republic of Cyprus to “keep the dialogue alive in order to achieve a fair and sustainable solution,” reiterating that Greece will be an ally and support the efforts of the Republic of Cyprus. On his part, Mr. Christodoulides underscored the importance of the upcoming Pentagonal talks in Geneva and insisted that the goal of Nicosia is “to restart negotiations from where they were suspended in 2017, utilizing the progress made in previous talks with the sole aim of resolving the Cyprus issue based on the agreed framework of principles and values of the EU.” With regard to the recent European Council, the President of the Republic of Cyprus mentioned the initiative of Greece and Cyprus concerning the need to strengthen the defense and security of the European Union, emphasizing the reference in the conclusions text that the Union faces threats in the Eastern Mediterranean, beyond those existing in Ukraine.