The cooperation prospects that are opening up in all sectors after the first official visit of the President of Portugal to Cyprus were highlighted on Saturday by President Nicos Anastasiades and his Portuguese counterpart, Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, after their meeting on Saturday at the Presidential Palace.
In the framework of de Sousa’s official visit, the two countries signed a Bilateral Agreement on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information. The agreement was signed by the Minister of Defence, Charalambos Petrides, and the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Portugal, Joao Cravinho, in the presence of the two Presidents.
In his speech, President Anastasiades, said that the first ever official visit by a President of the Portuguese Republic to the Republic of Cyprus, “opens a new chapter” in the two countries’ relations, to their mutual benefit and of their peoples. For his part, the President of Portugal made a special reference to the Cyprus problem, saying that the entire international community recognises the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, a member state of the EU, noting that his country supports the efforts of the UN Secretary General.
President Anastasiades said that de Sousa’s visit “reflects the joint commitment we attach to injecting new momentum to our close and fruitful cooperation, both bilaterally and in the EU and other international fora.”
He said they had the opportunity to review the full spectrum of the two countries’ bilateral relations and to discuss specific ways “in which we could explore opportunities for enhancing our cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade, investments, economic collaboration and tourism, on which there is untapped potential.”
To this end, he added, “we both agreed to take specific steps that will advance the interaction between the Cypriot and Portuguese business communities, as well as to forge a closer collaboration between our competent tourism authorities and the private sector with the aim to achieve an increase in peoples’ flows through establishing direct flights between the two countries.”
He also said they had the opportunity to touch on “major issues” on the European agenda, such as the green transition, Europe’s energy security and the current economic situation, and stressed the importance of the Southern countries of the EU to cooperate and support each other “to tackle the challenges we are facing.”
President Anastasiades said he conveyed to de Sousa that Cyprus supports all measures aiming at strengthening energy autonomy and the security of supply of member-states and of the Union, always taking into account national specificities and industry needs and that it stands ready to assume a significant role and be part of the energy solutions that the Eastern Mediterranean region has to offer with concrete projects and referred to the EuroAsia and EuroAfrica projects.
Referring to the Russian invasion of Ukraine and how the international community responded in a united and decisive way to the injustice and violation of Ukraine’s independence sovereignty and territorial integrity, he said Cyprus expects its partners “to demonstrate the same decisiveness and unity enforcing international law on the Cyprus issues and in safeguarding our sovereignty and sovereign rights.
He also said that he made it clear to the President of Portugal, that he will continue undertaking initiatives to break the current impasse, such as the Confidence Building Measures that he has proposed. The President also referred to Turkey’s “unacceptable position” in favour of a two-state solution and its ongoing violations at the sea and on the ground.
For his part, the President of Portugal said, among other things, that the first visit of a Portuguese President to Cyprus was “meaningful”. “We share so much that we must be in touch at every level,” he added.
He also said that the two countries are united by close ties of friendship, but also common positions and experiences, while he referred to the “impressive personality” of President Makarios III, in the history of Europe and humanity. He also praised the successful work of President Anastasiades in the Presidency of the Republic.
He referred to the many things the two countries have in common, as places with history, which are crossroads of cultures and which are surrounded by sea and with many shared experiences of the past.
He added that there are various areas in which bilateral cooperation can be strengthened, such as education, health, technology, innovation, energy transition and tourism.
He also praised the level of political and diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Portugal, highlighting the excellent cooperation at the EU level.
He also referred to immigration, a problem that, he said, both countries face, as well as the Ukrainian issue, condemning the invasion and the violation of international law.
Source: Cyprus News Agency