EDITOR’S NOTE (Nick Stamatakis). Biden and Christodoulides met today at the Oval Office, and judging from the Cypriot president’s big smiles and warm welcome, it went well. Biden has had extensive experience on the Cyprus question since the first year he was elected senator in 1973, which happened to be the year before Turkey invaded Cyprus. Biden was always a deep-state creature, and his positions and actions on Cyprus were always aligned with “the powers that be.” In recent years, and especially when he was a V.P. to Obama, he associated his name with the infamous “Biden Map” – which was identical to the Turkish policies and aspirations on Cyprus. Take a look:
Today, things have dramatically changed. The US and Israel have a critical need for Cyprus (and Crete) to gain “strategic depth” and to enact even minimally significant policies in the Middle East. At the same time, Turkey is wildly balancing between East and West and, a few days ago, was admitted as a “partner” (in the waiting room to become a member) of the BRICS. President Erdogan stayed at the BRICS summit in Kazan for only six hours because he had to deal with the terrorist attack in Ankara. But in these few hours, he met with Putin, Xi Ziping, and Modi, indicating that he would seriously push for membership next year. This latest fact seems to have been why Christodoulides was suddenly invited to the Oval Office.
It is significant that Biden abandoned his pro-Turkish agenda today and spoke clearly for the first time for a “Bizonal, Bi-communal Federation …consistent with United Nations Security Council Resolutions.” Such a solution is not at all satisfactory for Greek-Cypriots, but it is better than the previous positions of US Administrations that identified with Ankara.
Here’s the link to the video of the meeting, while the short readout by the White House Press Office is here.
Most news reports emphasized the likelihood of a ceasefire both in Gaza and in Lebanon as the central topic of discussion between the two leaders. The reality is that such a ceasefire is not simply a wish but a necessity for Israel: IDF has lost about 700 casualties in Gaza since October 7, 202, but in Lebanon, the rate of casualties is multiplied. Already, Israeli leaders are almost announcing their withdrawal from Southern Lebanon, saying “they achieved their goals.” The reality is that air bombardments never won any war. Just yesterday, Hezbollah announced that they will continue sending rockets to settlements in northern Israel, and there is nothing the IDF can do to stop them. Additionally, last week’s Israeli attack on Tehran proved to be a failure. The Zionist plans for a “Greater Israel” are now as good as dead, and over half a million Israeli have already abandoned Israel for “greener pastures”. Israel’s defeat is ominous.
Cyprus and Greece are in the best geostrategic position to offer a helping hand to Israel, provided they are rewarded accordingly. Unfortunately, the biggest problem of Greek and Cypriot leadership is that they usually fail to put their DEMANDS on the table. It is now an opportune time to leave the “big smiles” on the side and talk business. We expect nothing from Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who has had a family background of selling out Greek interests for decades. But we have every right to expect it from Nikos Christodoulides. He has to honor his patriotic family roots from Paphos and the memory of his late brother, Savvas Chistodoulides, a great patriot and a good friend of yours truly…
BELOW YOU CAN SEE A FULL REPORT WITH MANY PHOTOS FROM TODAY’S MEETING
October 30, 2024, n.stamatakis@aol.com www.helleniscope.com
DISCLAIMER: The views and statements expressed in this article constitute constitutionally protected opinions of this author.
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Biden, Cyprus president discuss administration push to win cease-fires in Gaza and Lebanon
Copyright 2024 The Associated Press. All rights reserved
President Joe Biden shakes hands during a meeting with President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, left, in the Oval Office of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Oct. 30, 2024. (AP Photo/Ben Curtis)
WASHINGTON – President Joe Biden and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday discussed a new effort by the U.S. administration and mediators in the Middle East to forge cease-fires to end fighting in Lebanon and Gaza.
Christodoulides leads the European Union nation closest to Gaza. The small Mediterranean island nation has played a critical role in efforts to get humanitarian aid into Gaza since the war between Hamas and Israel began more than a year ago.
He said that Biden and White House officials briefed him on the latest stepped-up efforts by the U.S. administration and other mediators but declined to offer further details about the discussion.
“The most important, the number one priority of the international community now is to have a cease-fire in the region,” Christodoulides told reporters after his Oval Office talks with Biden.
He added that situation on the ground changes daily but that he was “quite optimistic” that a Lebanon cease-fire deal could emerge in one to two weeks.
Senior White House officials Brett McGurk and Amos Hochstein will visit Israel on Thursday for talks on possible cease-fires in both Lebanon and Gaza, and on the release of hostages held by Hamas, White House press secretary Karine Jean-Pierre said. She said CIA Director Bill Burns will head to Egypt on Thursday to discuss those efforts.
A proposal to end the war between Israel and Hezbollah calls for a two-month cease-fire during which Israeli forces would withdraw from Lebanon, and Hezbollah would end its armed presence along the country’s southern border, according to two U.S. officials familiar with the talks said. The officials were not authorized to comment publicly and spoke on the condition of anonymity.
Biden, meanwhile, thanked Cyprus for helping move badly needed humanitarian aid into Gaza and for the Mediterranean nation’s cooperation in response to Russia’s war in Ukraine.
The meeting, the first Oval visit by a Cypriot president since 1996, comes days after U.S. and Cypriot officials announced the countries are launching a strategic dialogue aimed at bolstering security and stability in a crisis-wracked region through initiatives including counterterrorism training of personnel from Middle Eastern countries and fighting sanctions evasion.
The new coordination is just the latest example of Cyprus tightening relations with the U.S. after decades of walking a tightrope between Washington and Moscow. Cyprus has moved closer to the U.S. since Russia’s 2022 invasion of Ukraine.
“Today we stood against Russia’s vicious onslaught against Ukraine, we launched a strategic dialogue, we increased cooperation across a range of issues, from energy security to artificial intelligence, and we surged humanitarian aid, delivering 8000 metric tons to Gaza,” Biden said.
The U.S. is also funding a center on the island nation under the acronym CYCLOPS that trains personnel from Cyprus and neighboring countries on maritime and cybersecurity as well as counterterrorism techniques.
The Cyprus government has also stepped up coordination with local law enforcement, the U.S. Department of Justice and the FBI to help combat the evasion of sanctions against Russia and other countries.
The FBI is helping train Cypriot police in identifying and prosecuting cases of illegal financing and attempts to evade U.S., European Union and U.N. sanctions imposed on any third country.
Last month, Cyprus and the U.S. signed a defense cooperation framework agreement that outlines ways the two countries can enhance their response to regional humanitarian crises and security concerns.
Christodoulides said Cyprus has proven to be a “predictable and reliable partner of the United States in a region of great geopolitical importance.”
Earlier this year, Cyprus helped the U.S. establish a Gaza maritime corridor for the shipborne delivery of humanitarian aid to the Palestinian territory.
The $230 million temporary pier project was derided as a boondoggle by critics and was beset by turbulent weather, security threats and sweeping personnel restrictions. The Pentagon pulled the plug on the effort after about four months.
The Biden administration had set a goal of the U.S. sea route and pier providing food to feed 1.5 million people for 90 days. It fell short, bringing in enough to feed about 450,000 people for a month before shutting down, according to a USAID inspector general’s report.
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Hadjicostis reported from Nicosia, Cyprus. AP Diplomatic Writer Matthew Lee contributed reporting
As an American, America can never be trusted or believed. I guess he was called so he had to obey and go…but if he’s the leader of his people, he can never believe or rely on the U.S. among others.
We are told Biden has dementia. Maybe it’s not true. After all, we are bombarded with countless lies every day.
Biden stated, “Today we stood against Russia’s vicious onslaught against Ukraine, we launched a strategic dialogue, we increased cooperation across a range of issues, from energy security to artificial intelligence, and we surged humanitarian aid, delivering 8000 metric tons to Gaza.”
Does Biden really have dementia?
Biden WAS READING THOSE REMARKS so he is not proving that his mind works well as his short memory is impaired and his orientation also.
Thank God he leaves the presidency in 3 months
Helleniscope” ” Cyprus and Greece are in the best geostrategic position to offer a helping hand to Israel, provided they are rewarded accordingly. Unfortunately, the biggest problem of Greek and Cypriot leadership is that they usually fail to put their DEMANDS on the table. It is now an opportune time to leave the “big smiles” on the side and talk business.
That’s right .. .Helleniscope .. to all crimes committed by Mobsters that harm citizens of the world …it is just business! The question Helleniscope how much are you rewarded for doing business for the Republican Mafia families ruling America help them to rule America and the world? Please Helleniscope, show some class , and print this post ..and have the chops to reconcile with your readers, many of whom noted this extortion and racketeering scheme ..your Republican Party uses everyday of the year!
Michael – we all wish that law and justice prevail but geopolitics is a business of calculating opposing powers. Who said that? Your great grandfather, Thucydides, who is required reading in all “International Relations” schools all over the globe. We lost half of Cyprus because of such cold-blooded calculations between the US, Turkey, Britain and Israel (mostly). We have a (small) chance to reverse it on the basis is similar calculations. Anyway it is to everyone’s interest for Israel to exist in peace with all its neighbors – possibly under international guarantees from the US, Russia and China. An Israel where the Zionists are defeated and controlled is to the best interest of humanity. Christians, Jews and Muslims should be able to visit the Holy Lands and worship there in peace. You don’t want the Holy Lands under Muslim control, do you? And who wants seven million Jews as refugees mostly to America? In the New Yalta agreement that we are hoping will be discussed in the next months between the big powers such an arrangement seems possible.