Former Greek PM warns Cyprus joining Nato ‘can only lead to new dangers’
Former Greek prime minister Alexis Tsipras has warned that Cyprus joining Nato would “only lead to new dangers”.
Speaking at the presentation of his book in the town of Kozani on Saturday night, he said that “obviously, it goes without saying that we should respond to Cyprus’ request for defence support” in the aftermath of the island being hit by an Iranian-made drone last week, and that “we did it right”.
However, he said, “at the same time, it is irresponsible to give a line to media outlets which talk about Greece as a guarantor power [of Cyprus] and for the activation of the united defence doctrine”.
“The war in the region should not be a reason to abandon the solution to the Cyprus problem or to consolidate the partition. On the contrary, it should be a warning bell, to fight for a reunited and federal Cyprus, without guarantors and occupying troops,” he said.
To this end, he said that “only a just and sustainable solution based on United Nations resolutions can ensure peace and stability”, and that “only an ‘autonomous Europe’ – which is the slogan of the Cypriot presidency of the Council of the European Union – can contribute to this”.
“On the contrary, Cyprus’ accession to Nato can only lead to new dangers. This prospect cannot bring any security or stability to the long-suffering Cyprus,” he said.
His comments come after his compatriot and former European Commission Vice President Margaritis Schinas had drawn the opposite conclusion earlier in the week.
“I would like to propose a next step which would significantly enhance the prospect of stability in southern Europe. I think that this is perhaps the best possible link that Cyprus would ever have, to request, officially and urgently, the accession of the Republic of Cyprus to Nato,” he said, before adding, “this is the moment”.
He said that Cyprus is “the only non-Nato member on the frontlines of this geopolitical turmoil”.
“Turkey is a Nato member. Greece is a Nato member. But Cyprus is not. Therefore, in addition to the European offer of defence, security, solidarity, and stability to [Cyprus], I think that this moment is an excellent political opportunity for [Cyprus] to seek Nato membership,” he said.
To this end, he added that “frankly, I do not see who could object to this move”.
Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides had said last December that joining Nato “would be a natural development” for Cyprus.
“If it were possible for Cyprus to apply tomorrow and receive a positive response from all member states, we would do so”, he said, though he did acknowledge that with the Cyprus problem remaining unresolved, Turkey would veto a Cypriot application to join Nato at present.
“For this reason, we are working methodically to strengthen our military to bring it up to the level of other Nato members, while we wait for the political conditions to be met for us to join the organisation,” he said.
He added that Cyprus “already has a clearly defined foreign policy, with a strong orientation towards the west”.
The question of whether Cyprus may join Nato was raised in 2024 after Christodoulides met then United States President Joe Biden at the White House, with Greek newspaper Kathimerini at the time reporting that Christodoulides had presented a plan for Cyprus’ future accession to Nato at that meeting.
After his visit to the White House, Christodoulides said that Cyprus is getting ready to join Nato if and when Turkey withdraws its objections.
Later, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos that public debate over whether Cyprus should join Nato is “premature”, adding that the government is “working to increase our compatibility with Nato member states, and Nato members include Greece and France – countries with which there is a traditional cooperation”.