President Isaac Herzog met on Monday with President Nikos Christodoulides of the Republic of Cyprus at the President’s Residence in Jerusalem. During their meeting, President Herzog and President Christodoulides discussed opportunities to deepen bilateral cooperation and advance regional initiatives aimed at promoting stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
Herzog welcomed President Christodoulides, noting that “we're very happy always to see you here. You know our relations with Cyprus have been upgraded dramatically in recent years. There's huge potential for doing business together and actually developing together with Greece and other countries, the Eastern basin of the Mediterranean."
The Israeli President mentioned Cyprus's position regarding regional challenges: “As we can look forward to the day after in Gaza, and also to the strategic changes in Syria and Lebanon, I think that the place of Cyprus is essential. It's a key element in the region of functionality and development. It can also be a bridge for peace with our Palestinian neighbors and other countries in the region, as you stretch your connectivity all the way to India and the UAE. So I think there's so much to discuss here, and I welcome you to Israel wholeheartedly."
Herzog concluded by calling for the release of Staff Sergeant Ran Gvili: "He's the last hostage who has not been returned to Israel. We call upon the family of nations and all those who are involved in the operation in Gaza to apply pressure and use any tools possible to bring him back home."
He also added holiday greetings: “I want to take this opportunity to wish the people of Cyprus and all our sisters and brothers of the Christian communities in the Middle East and, of course, in the Holy Land, Merry Christmas and a Happy 2026.”
President Christodoulides replied: “Thank you, I'm very glad and pleased to be in Israel this time for a bilateral visit, but also, as you mentioned, the tenth trilateral summit between Cyprus, Greece, and Israel. I'm looking forward to the discussions and, more importantly, to the decisions that we're going to have to take in order to enhance even more our strategic relations. Issues like defense and security, energy, economy and trade, and innovation are high on our agenda. And of course, tourism - you mentioned the Israelis coming to Cyprus, and I was very glad to find out that during the summer time we have 186 weekly flights. This is a clear indication also of the people-to-people contacts."
He added: “At the same time, I'm here a few days before we assume the Presidency of the Council of the European Union. One of our main priorities is to bring the European Union much closer to the region.
The Cypriot President also mentioned Ran Gvili, stressing that "our position was clear from the very beginning and also as you noted, for the last remaining hostage to return."
He publicly invited President Herzog to Cyprus to continue the discussion.