Famagusta district asks to host EU events

Political leaders from the Famagusta district on Thursday called on President Nikos Christodoulides to meet with them with the aim of allowing the district to host conferences and other events when Cyprus takes over the European Council’s rotating presidency.

The letter was sent by Famagusta District Governor Yiannis Karousos and two mayors from the district, Giorgos Nikolettos of Paralimni and Christos Zannettou, with Cyprus set to hold the European Council’s rotating presidency during the first half of 2026.

2026 will be the second time Cyprus has held the European Council’s rotating presidency, the first time having been in the second half of 2012.

The three leaders said the first half of 2026 will be “a very important milestone our country’s history, since Cyprus will be at the centre of interest at the European and international level.”

“During that period, prominent personalities, politicians, and technocrats from all over Europe will visit Cyprus to participate in conferences and other events,” they said.

With this in mind, they said, “our opinion is that this opportunity should be used to promote the whole of Cyprus, since all our districts have the requisite infrastructure to host conferences, councils, and other high-level events.”

Singling out Famagusta, they said the district has hotels and conference rooms which are “well-equipped” to host such events.

They also added that delegates at European Council events could then “enjoy our district’s unique points of reference”, including the Ayia Napa monastery, Cape Greco, the Profitis Elias church, the marinas at Ayia Napa and Paralimni, and the district’s beaches.

More important than this, they said, is that the Cypriot presidency of the European Council “will be a unique opportunity to promote our national issue, and especially the [Turkish] occupation of Famagusta”.

“There will be multiple benefits for the districts, particularly if the conferences and events are held during months when we see less tourist traffic, thus offering the opportunity to highlight the very important issue of our country’s air and sea connectivity,” they said.

They added that for this reason, the signing and adoption of declarations related to tourism and transport connectivity should be a priority of the six months during which Cyprus holds the European Council’s presidency.