President Christodoulides in Brussels for European Council meeting

President Nikos Christodoulides is in Brussels where he will take part on in the deliberations of the European Council, during which he is expected to underline the need for close monitoring and active presence of the EU in shaping the new situation in Syria and will refer to the proposals of the Republic of Cyprus.

According to a press release issued by the Presidency, President Christodoulides will participate in the morning of 19 December in the enlarged meeting of the European People's Party, which will focus on Enlargement of the European Union.

He will then meet with a group of like-minded leaders, on the subject of migration. The meeting will be hosted by the Prime Minister of Denmark and is expected to be attended by the leaders of Italy, the Netherlands, Greece, Poland, Hungary, Sweden, Malta and the Czech Republic.

President Christodoulides will also participate in the deliberations of the European Council Summit, which will address, among others, Ukraine, the role of the EU in the world and migration, the press release added.

In the evening, the leaders of the EU member states will have a working dinner, the main subject of which will be developments in the Middle East and specifically the situation in Syria.

In this context, President Christodoulides will underline the need for close monitoring and active presence of the EU in shaping the new situation in Syria and will refer to the proposals of the Republic of Cyprus which are included in a  document submitted by Nicosia to the EU, the Presidency said.

In addition, on the sidelines of the European Council, the President of the Republic is expected to have bilateral meetings with the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen and other counterparts.

President Christodoulides, who will be accompanied by the Deputy Minister for European Affairs, Marilena Raouna, and the Director of the President's Press Office,  Victoras Papadopoulos, will depart from Brussels on December 20 for Athens.

On the same day the President of the Republic will speak at the annual  Conference of the Hellenic Society of International Law and International Relations, which will be held at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic.

Later on, he will attend the event of the Association for Rehabilitation and Special Education of Persons with Disabilities "Panagia Evangelistria". First Lady Philippa Karsera Christodoulides, will be declared an honorary member of the Association.

On December 21, the President of the Republic will travel to Kalamata, Greece, where he will speak at the international conference organised by the Holy Metropolis of Messinia, the General Secretariat for Religious Affairs of the Ministry of Education and Religious Affairs, in collaboration with the Hellenic Parliament Foundation and the University of the Peloponnese, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion against Cyprus.

In the afternoon, President Christodoulides will travel to the University of the Peloponnese, where he will be awarded an honorary doctorate of the Department of History, Archaeology and Management of Cultural Goods at a special event.

The President Christodoulides will also attend a special event of the Municipality of Kalamata during which he will be declared an honorary citizen of Kalamata.

(Source: CNA)