Cyprus and Lebanon: ancient bonds, modern challenges

By Euripides L Evriviades

The recent visit of Lebanese President Joseph Aoun to Cyprus was not merely a diplomatic courtesy call. It was laden with history, symbolism and strategic meaning, offering both nations an opportunity to recalibrate their regional roles in an increasingly volatile Eastern Mediterranean.

For millennia, Cyprus and Lebanon have been neighbours across a narrow sea lane. From Phoenician traders who settled Kition (modern Larnaca) to Byzantine, Ottoman