Country’s six-month stint at helm begins with defence, migration and Ukraine still at top of agenda
Cyprus says it will bring “a new approach to the table” when it assumes the EU presidency on Thursday, as defence, migration and Ukraine continue to top the agenda at a time of acute geopolitical uncertainty.
As one of the 27-member bloc’s smaller member states, Cyprus will tackle its six-month stint at the EU’s helm with discipline and dedication but also “a different mindset”, the Cypriot foreign minister, Constantinos Kombos, said.
“We believe that small states have a lot to offer in these kind of situations,” Kombos told the Guardian, the gold-starred flag of Europe on prominent display in his office.
“It’s a very different mindset that one can bring to the table, a different approach. As a small state, we are dedicated. We don’t see [the presidency] as something we have to do; we want to do it in the best possible way.”
