Nikos Christodoulides

The visit of President Nikos Christodoulides to the White House and his meeting with Joe Biden outline the excellent status of Cypriot-American relations. Only a few days before the US presidential election diplomacy is in full motion.

US Assistant Secretary of State James O'Brien will meet jointly on Wednesday with Greece's Ambassador to the United States Ekaterini Nassika and her Turkish counterpart, Sedat Onal.

The meeting is scheduled at the State Department, ahead of a critical one-on-one between President Joe Biden and Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides, set to take place a mile away at the White House.

In what is seen as a pivotal meeting at the White House, President Joe Biden welcomes Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday to discuss strengthening bilateral ties amid escalating tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides will meet with President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

The two leaders will discuss a range of global issues, the White House press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre announced on Tuesday.

Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides and Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis held a phone conversation on Tuesday ahead of Christodoulides' meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House on Wednesday.

The two leaders are also scheduled to meet in Athens on Thursday as part of a previously planned visit.

Lena Argiri, the Washington, DC correspondent for public broadcaster ERT and Kathimerini, joins Thanos Davelis to look at what President Christodoulides' upcoming White House visit means for US-Cyprus ties, especially as Cyprus emerges as a critical strategic partner for the United States.

The sea journey from the Lebanese coast to Cyprus - the closest EU member-state - takes just 10 hours in the motorboats used by traffickers. The distance from Larnaca is about 112 nautical miles. Lebanon is the country with the highest per capita concentration of refugees in the world, hosting some 2 million Syrians and 200,000 Palestinians.

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides reiterated that “there can be no solution to the Cyprus issue or discussion that falls outside the framework of United Nations resolutions,” in an interview with Euronews.

He emphasized, “I know where we want to go. We know very well. We know what our red lines are.”

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides met with European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen during a European People's Party summit on Thursday to discuss the EU's role in resuming negotiations on the Cyprus issue, which have been stalled since 2017.