Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides made supporting Ukraine an "extremely important" focus of his country's six-month EU Council presidency, telling journalists in Nicosia on Wednesday that Cyprus's own experience as the "EU's only occupied member" gives it unique insight into Kyiv's struggle.
Why Cyprus calls itself the EU's"only occupied member"—and what it means for Ukraine
In July 1974, Türkiye invaded Cyprus in a two-phase military operation codenamed "Attila." The invasion displaced approximately 200,000 Greek Cypriots and left Türkiye controlling 37% of the island, a situation unchanged 51 years later. The self-declared "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus" remains recognized only by Türkiye, which maintains over 35,000 troops there. A UN-monitored buffer zone—the Green Line—still divides the island.
Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 despite the unresolved occupation, setting a precedent that proves territorial disputes need not block membership. For Ukraine, which has been partially occupied by Russia since 2014, Cyprus offers proof that EU accession can proceed while liberation remains unfinished. In 2020, European Commissioner for Enlargement Olivér Várhelyi stated explicitly: "The occupied territories are not in themselves an obstacle" to Ukraine's EU path.
Cyprus takes the helm—and sees itself in Ukraine
The occupation methods in Cyprus and Ukraine look strikingly similar: both Türkiye and Russia seized territory by force, displaced the native population, and installed settlers to change the captured areas' social fabric.
Cyprus joined the EU in 2004 despite the unresolved occupation, setting a precedent that proves territorial disputes need not block membership.
The parallels run deep. Türkiye and the Turkish Cypriot administration transferred settlers to northern Cyprus after 1974. Settlers and their descendants now make up roughly half the population. Russia has deployed the same playbook in occupied Ukraine—forcibly transferring Ukrainians out while moving Russian citizens in, a practice the UN found violates the Geneva Conventions.
During his December visit to Kyiv, Christodoulides made the connection explicit: "The experiences of the Cypriot people, since 1974 and the Turkish invasion and the occupation that has continued for 51 years, oblige us to be on the right side of history, oblige us to stand by you firmly, unwaveringly, institutionally, politically, as supporters of the great effort to become a member of the EU," he told Zelenskyy.
The occupation methods in Cyprus and Ukraine look strikingly similar: both Türkiye and Russia seized territory by force, displaced the native population, and installed settlers to change the captured areas' social fabric.
