Christodoulides denies relations with US are ‘irreparably damaged’

President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday night denied that relations between the European Union and the United States have been “irreparably damaged” in light of US President Donald Trump’s ramping up of rhetoric and demands to be handed sovereignty over Greenland.

He was asked about the state of relations with the US upon his arrival at the evening’s extraordinary European Council summit in Brussels, and when asked whether relations are damaged beyond the pair, he said, “no, I do not believe we should follow this path”.

“As I mentioned before, we are here to de-escalate, not to escalate. It is not in the interest of the EU, it is not in the interest of the United States, it is not in the interest of transatlantic relations,” he said.

He added that the EU is “here to find a positive way forward, without, of course, undermining the territorial integrity or sovereignty of any member state”.

To this end, he stressed that Cyprus and the EU have “full respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Kingdom of Denmark”.

“The Republic of Cyprus knows better than any other member state what a violation of sovereignty and territorial integrity means,” he said.

He then added that the EU’s goal “is not escalation”, because “escalation works against everyone, against the [EU’s] member states, against the United States, [and] against transatlantic relations”.

“Therefore, our goal is de-escalation, without, of course, any compromise on sovereignty or territorial integrity. These are basic principles of international law,” he said.

On this matter, he said that developments regarding Greenland have “confirmed … the need for what we have set as a goal” for Cyprus’ six-month term as the holder of the Council of the EU’s rotating presidency – “the need for autonomy”.

“Autonomy in all sectors. Autonomy in defence and security. Autonomy in energy issues, in strengthening competitiveness, and this timing, if you like, confirms the correctness of our approach, and I believe it will significantly help us to work specifically towards achieving this goal of strategic autonomy and strategic independence of the EU,” he said.

Christodoulides’ statements were echoed by European Council president Antonio Costa after the summit.

Costa stressed that both Denmark and Greenland “have the full support of the European Union” and that “only the Kingdom of Denmark and Greenland can decide on matters concerning Denmark and Greenland”.

“This is a reflection of our firm commitment to the principles of international law, territorial integrity and national sovereignty, which are essential for Europe and for the international community as a whole. These principles will continue to guide our action,” he said.

Meanwhile, Trump said he had secured “total and permanent” US access to Greenland after a deal was struck with Nato, though many involved in the matter remained unclear about what, if anything, had been agreed.

Greenland’s Prime Minister Jens-Frederik Nielsen said that “I do not know what there is in the agreement, or the deal, about my country”, before stressing that while he is “ready to discuss a lot of things” and “ready to negotiate a better partnership”, any question of sovereignty “is a red line”.

“We cannot cross the red lines. We have to respect our territorial integrity. We have to respect international law and sovereignty,” he said.

Earlier, reports had suggested that a solution resembling that of the United Kingdom’s sovereign base areas on Cyprus has been suggested as a potential way to resolve the issue.

The New York Times quoted a Nato official who attended meetings on the matter at the World Economic Forum in the Swiss ski resort of Davos as having “compared the concept to the United Kingdom’s bases in Cyprus, which are regarded as British territory”.

It also said that a second official “also confirmed that the idea for Greenland was modelled after the sovereign British bases in Cyprus”.

The UK retained two sovereign bases in Cyprus, in Akrotiri and in Dhekelia, when it relinquished control of the rest of the island upon its independence in 1960. Neither base was ever incorporated into the Republic of Cyprus and both are sovereign British territory.

Sovereignty over Greenland has been held solely by Denmark since the Treaty of Kiel of 1812.