Newsroom
He once turned down a meeting with Vladimir Putin and Xi Jinping, not over politics, not over protocol, but because it clashed with his afternoon nap.
That eyebrow-raising admission came straight from former president Nicos Anastasiades himself, during an interview on Alpha TV’s Sunday Night with Christiana Aristotelous. And yes, he was serious.
Speaking about a past official visit to China for a high-level international summit, Anastasiades revealed that he cancelled scheduled meetings with the Russian and Chinese presidents because they were set during his midday siesta.
The meetings did eventually happen, just later in the afternoon, exactly as he wanted.
“I wake up very early, around 4:20 every morning,” Anastasiades said, prompting Aristotelous to joke that this explains why his afternoon nap was “non-negotiable.”
“One of the most sacred things,” the former president replied without hesitation.
Asked whether he had ever reshuffled official schedules to protect that sacred siesta, Anastasiades didn’t dodge it.
“It’s a fact,” he said, before launching into the China story.
During what he described as a global summit linked to China’s “Silk Road” initiative, Anastasiades said he had given strict instructions to Cyprus’ ambassadors: no meetings before 4pm, under threat of recall.
Despite that warning, the ambassador excitedly informed him that President Xi Jinping was ready to meet at 3:15pm and Vladimir Putin at 4:15pm.
His response?
“I’m very sorry,” Anastasiades recalled saying. “Find whatever excuse you want. I’m not going at 3:15, and I’m not going at 4:15 either.”
He explained that skipping Xi but showing up for Putin would create a diplomatic incident and that, quite simply, he wouldn’t function without his rest.
A few hours later, the ambassador returned with better news.
“President, I fixed it,” he told him.
The meetings were rescheduled: Xi Jinping at 4:15pm and Vladimir Putin at 5:15pm.
“Now we’re talking,” Anastasiades said. And just like that, the crisis, diplomatic and personal, was averted.
The story has since sparked a mix of disbelief, amusement, and criticism, especially given the stature of the leaders involved. Whether it’s seen as peak Mediterranean honesty or diplomatic recklessness likely depends on who you ask. But one thing is clear: when it came to power politics, even Putin and Xi had to wait until after the siesta.
