The opening ceremony to mark the assumption of the presidency of the EU Council by the Republic of Cyprus takes place this evening at the ancient amphitheatre of Kourion, on the southern coast.
This is the first time Cyprus assumes the six monthly rotating EU presidency, since it joined the EU in May 2004.
The ceremony will start at 20.00 local time (1700 GMT) with the national anthem of the Republic of Cyprus and the anthem of the European Union. This will be followed by an address from the Prime Minister of Denmark Helle Thorning-Schmidt and the President of the Council of the EU, Cyprus President Demetris Christofias.
The ceremony will continue with an address by European Commission President Jose Manuel Barroso, President of the European Council Herman Van Rompuy, and Vice President of the European Parliament Annie Podimata on behalf of the President of the European Parliament Martin Schulz.
The event will continue with an artistic performance which combines multimedia projections, dance and narration, followed by songs on renaissance poetry of 1500 BC, in Cypriot dialect.
The evening will close with a reception hosted by President Christofias in honour of his official guests.