Newsroom
Cyprus has been pulled into the spotlight of U.S. diplomacy after President Donald Trump personally invited President Nicos Christodoulides to join his newly proposed “Peace Council” for Gaza, and Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan got an invite too.
According to government sources in Nicosia, Trump sent a formal letter to Christodoulides inviting Cyprus to become one of the 25 founding members of the council. The initiative is part of the second phase of Trump’s controversial peace plan for the region, which builds on last year’s Sharm El-Sheikh summit, an event Christodoulides attended, and aims to oversee a temporary governance arrangement in Gaza.
Turkey’s presidential office confirmed that Erdoğan also received an invitation, along with other key regional players. Egypt, too, is reportedly considering joining, with Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry saying Cairo is reviewing the U.S. offer.
The White House released a list of some of the council’s high-profile members: U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Trump’s special envoy Steve Whitkoff, former UK Prime Minister Tony Blair, and Jared Kushner, Trump’s son-in-law, are all on board. Turkey’s Foreign Minister Hakan Fidan will also represent Ankara.
For Cyprus, the invitation raises questions. Sitting at the same table as Erdoğan could be seen as a diplomatic coup or a risky move, given that Turkey continues to occupy the northern part of Cyprus. The optics are complicated: can Cyprus advance regional stability without appearing to normalize or overlook the ongoing occupation?
