Yiannis Ioannou
The official visit of President Nikos Christodoulides to the White House today underscores the deepening strategic partnership between Cyprus and the United States. His meeting with U.S. President Joe Biden not only affirms robust bilateral relations but also marks a rare, historic occasion—Christodoulides is the fifth Cypriot president to engage with a U.S. leader and only the third, following Archbishop Makarios and Glafkos Clerides, to be officially invited to the White House.
Key agenda items
Scheduled for 11I 30 a.m. (5:30 p.m. Cyprus time), President Christodoulides’ meeting with President Biden in the Oval Office will last about an hour. Topics on the table include an array of bilateral and regional cooperation efforts, spanning defense, humanitarian aid, regional partnerships, investment, foreign trade, energy, and cross-cultural exchanges. A notable focus will be on the Cyprus issue, as Nicosia hopes for Washington’s support in conveying a clear message to Ankara to help break the longstanding negotiation deadlock.
Relations between Cyprus and the U.S. have now reached a tangible level, with significant cooperation in political, economic, and security arenas—highlighting a resilience that transcends shifts in each nation’s domestic political landscape.
Statements from President Christodoulides
Speaking after the student parade in Nicosia commemorating Greece’s October 28, 1940 anniversary, President Christodoulides commented on the importance of the U.S. invitation: “The invitation comes amid other significant developments, reflecting our efforts to strengthen our regional and international standing,” he noted. He pointed to recent Cypriot initiatives welcomed by the global community, adding, “There is also a bipartisan aspect to our relationship.”
Significance and timing
Christodoulides' White House visit, just five days ahead of the U.S. presidential election, is seen as a major diplomatic signal of the ongoing strengthening of U.S.-Cyprus ties—a relationship that has gained momentum since the 2022 lifting of the U.S. arms embargo on Cyprus. The United States views Nicosia as a dependable partner in the Eastern Mediterranean, especially amid instability stemming from the Israel-Gaza conflict.
Since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine, Cyprus has aligned more closely with the West, gradually reducing longstanding Russian political and economic influence. This shift underscores Cyprus’s growing significance to U.S. foreign policy.
Historical context
Cypriot presidents have a notable, if infrequent, history of White House visits. In 1962, Archbishop Makarios was formally invited by President John F. Kennedy. He met President Nixon again in 1970 during a United Nations anniversary event. Later, Spyros Kyprianou held informal meetings with Presidents Carter and Reagan on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly. George Vassiliou met privately with President Bush between 1989 and 1992. Finally, in 1993, 31 years after Makarios, Glafkos Clerides received an official White House invitation from President Clinton.
With today’s invitation from President Biden, President Christodoulides joins this small group as only the third Cypriot president to receive an official White House invitation—underscoring the rarity of such exchanges and the deepening ties between Cyprus and the United States.
[This article was translated from its Greek original]
