The accession of Cyprus to the EU in 2004, is the single most important strategic development in the country’s turbulent history since independence in 1960. It affirmed Cyprus’s place in Europe and its importance in the security of the Eastern Mediterranean, therefore proving to be a win-win development, both for the Island and for the region. Cyprus also became a member of the Eurozone in 2008 and it’s going through an economic crisis. In this presentation, His Excellency, the High Commissioner of Cyprus, will underline why both Cyprus and the EU are important to each other and to the long term security, development and economic prosperity not only of the Eastern Mediterranean, but of the European continent. Will the recently discovered hydrocarbons in the Eastern Mediterranean be the prolegomena of the establishment of a union analogous to the European Coal and Steel Community? Is it a blessing or a curse? And what about the unresolved Cyprus question? Where does it fit in this strategic matrix? What are the chances for a successful conclusion of the newly resumed talk? Is the Cyprus question intractable or insoluble as some have argued? And what does a solution or non-solution mean for the people, the rule of law and peace, security and stability of Cyprus and the region?