Deputy Minister for European Affairs Marilena Raouna said on Monday that the government aims to involve all districts of Cyprus during the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026, adding that more than 200 meetings will be held in Cyprus hosting more than 20,000 people.

In statements following a meeting she held with the Mayor of Ayia Napa, at the Secretariat of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU, in Nicosia, she said that the Cyprus Presidency constitutes a national mission that requires the contribution of all. 

In this context, she continued, "good cooperation with the local administration authorities is of utmost importance and priority for the government".

The meeting with the Mayor and Deputy Mayor of Ayia Napa, Christos Zannettou, and Antonis Christou respectively, was a very constructive one, she said, adding that with this meeting she inaugurated the first round of consultations with the local government authorities in the context of the preparations for the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union in the first half of 2026.

She said she informed them about the progress of the preparations carried out by the Secretariat and services of the Presidency in close cooperation with all the Ministries and Deputy Ministries.

They discussed, she said, about the needs for hosting and organizing hundreds of meetings and conferences that will take place during the Cyprus Presidency.

 "Our goal from the beginning - as the President of the Republic had already stated - is to involve, and we will involve, all districts of Cyprus", she said, adding that this is one of the priorities.

During the Cypriot Presidency, Raouna noted, more than 200 meetings at all levels will be held in Cyprus, hosting more than 20,000 persons.

It is an opportunity, she added, to highlight all districts, the coastal areas, the mountainous areas and the capital, Nicosia, "the last divided capital of the European Union".

In his statements, the Mayor of Ayia Napa expressed satisfaction with the fact that all districts and all municipalities will be included in the effort, saying that they can contribute to the various actions, both cultural and political, as well as in the other conferences that will concern the European Presidency.

 It is "our duty and obligation to support this effort and make it a success, to highlight our national problem and at the same time our hospitality, our culture, to be able to claim what we are entitled to as a member country of the European Union and see better days", he concluded.