Undoubtedly, the new president of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, is taking the helm of our brotherly state at a critical moment.

Talks on the Cyprus problem have remained stagnant and on the Turkish side we have two new realities – Turkey’s colonisation of Ammohostos (Famagusta) and its gas and oil drilling in the Eastern Mediterranean.

The restart of negotiations will occur on this delicate canvas, and the new president – with his nine-year experience at the side of outgoing president Nicos Anastasiades – will have to make a strong effort, based on the UN framework and EU principles.

Stagnancy simply entrenches the island’s de facto division and further alienates the Turkish Cypriot side, obviously with the responsibility of Ankara.

Moreover, Cyprus must stand firmly both on the shifting regional map, as it neighbours with war zones, and is constantly confronted with Erdogan’s revisionism.

Aid from the Republic of Cyprus sent to earthquake victims in Turkey creates a positive momentum that should be exploited.

The Republic of Cyprus, as a member of the EU and at its deep core of the common currency, has almost no choice but to exhibit a new extroversion in terms of the economy, growth, and geopolitics, and to deepen its ties with the US and the West.

The incoming president has much work ahead, but also a rendezvous with history.

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