Opening Remarks by the Deputy Minister for European Affairs of Cyprus, Marilena Raouna, at the opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU 2026

We warmly welcome you to Cyprus, and to the opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Thank you for honouring us with your presence.

Tonight, the heart of our European Union beats louder in Cyprus.

Here, in Lefkosia, in Europe’s last divided capital. At the Union’s southeasternmost frontier. 

Cyprus assumes the Presidency of the Council of the EU with immense pride and a deep sense of responsibility. 

Pride because this small island carries a big European soul. 

And responsibility because our European home stands at a pivotal moment.

An island at the crossroads of three continents, Cyprus has stood stoically, for centuries, as a meeting point of peoples, cultures and ideas. 

A bridge between Europe and the wider region of the Middle East and Gulf. The EU’s lighthouse in the Eastern Mediterranean. 

And it is no coincidence that we open our Presidency through culture. Because culture is our common language. It connects us, brings people together, sheds light on all that unite us, it becomes the medium of our collective conscience.

Through music, dance, poetry, visual expression, and contemporary digital media, tonight’s artistic programme unfolds as a single narrative in three acts: 

Memory – Present – Hereafter.

It reflects who we are, where we have come from, where we stand today, and the future that we aspire to shape together. A future of reunification and of peace. A reminder that Europe’s strength lies in its unity but also in its remarkable diversity, in which every country contributes its own unique thread to our shared European tapestry.

And so, Cyprus embarks on the Presidency journey, with commitment, hard work and the ability to be resilient in the face of adversity, and above all, with the determination to do what Cyprus knows well – to act as a bridge between member states, between institutions, between ambition and delivery, and between Europe and the wider region. 

Welcome to Cyprus. Welcome to Cyprus’ Presidency!