Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides warned that the confrontation between Israel and Iran could spill over to Cyprus, in an interview on the British podcast The Rest is Politics: Leading.
“If Iran acquires nuclear capabilities, my country is also in danger. We are 30 minutes from Israel," he said.
Christodoulides described Israel as “our closest ally in the region,” stressing the importance of bilateral ties amid growing instability in the Middle East.
He noted that Cyprus supports a two-state solution and recently held meetings with both Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas.
According to him, Cyprus is also working to deliver humanitarian aid to Gaza via the port of Ashdod.
Western nations' double standards
Turning his criticism to the wider international community, the Cypriot leader accused Western nations of double standards. “Whenever we want to sell military weapons, we recognize these states… but at the same time, we are the first to criticize them,” he said. “Why don’t we apply the same criticism to what Turkey is doing in Cyprus?”
Christodoulides argued that “international law is interpreted based on the power of the state interpreting it.” He further linked the region’s instability to global failures: “The failures of the region are because of the international community… because of the Arab Spring, which turned into an Arab Winter.”
He also recalled a conversation between a Scandinavian minister and Jordanian officials. When the minister raised LGBTQ and women’s rights, he said, the Jordanian side replied: “My neighbor is Iran, while your neighbor is Denmark.”