Greek Prime Minister, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said on Friday that donating one of the Greek government’s aircraft to Cyprus to be used for the trips of Cypriot government officials was the least that Athens could do to reciprocate Cyprus’ steadfast generosity.
On his part, Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, thanked the Greek Prime Minister, underlining that the airplane will be used for humanitarian purposes as well.
Mitsotakis and Anastasiades also spoke about the coordination between Greece and Cyprus in the framework of the European Council.
Speaking at the beginning of a meeting they had on Friday at the Maximos Mansion, in Athens, Mitsotakis said that their donation is the least they could do to reciprocate Cyprus’ steadfast generosity as the country stood by Greece after the fires in Mati area.
The Greek PM said it was very important for the Cypriot President to have an aircraft for its trips and for an airplane to bear the name and the flag of the Republic of Cyprus, adding that they would also discuss other developments, which unfortunately, as he noted, are unfavourable, due to the war in Ukraine.
“We hope and urge the EU to undertake bold initiatives – as we have discussed in many cases – because without a European response it will be very difficult to control the exploding natural gas prices,” he added.
The Greek PM said he was pleased that “many of the proposals we have submitted to the EU are currently being examined by the European Commission.” He went on to say that however there has been a delay and that they need to catch up.
Moreover, he noted that once again Athens responds with stability, self-confidence and commitment to the international law to any rhetoric extremism by Turkey, assuring that “we will not in any way change the responsible stance by which we address all those issues.”
On his part, Anastasiades thanked warmly Mitsotakis on behalf of the people and the government of Cyprus and himself personally, noting that Cyprus was until now maybe the only EU country which did not have a government aircraft for its President.
He noted that this airplane will not only be used in order to carry the President and other government officials, but also for humanitarian and health purposes.
He also expressed certainty that he will be back to Athens again soon for the laying of the foundation stone of the built-up area in fire-stricken Mati area, a project implemented with Cyprus’ contribution.
The Cypriot President said that they would also have the chance, in view of the upcoming European Council and the ongoing situation with the war in Ukraine, as well as the UN General Assembly, to discuss issues for which they need to coordinate, taking into consideration the threats against Cyprus and Greece by a country that is a candidate for EU accession.
Referring to the EU sanctions against Russia, Anastasiades said that most of them are unfortunately not targeted and negatively affect the European states and not the regime in Russia which is responsible for the war.
The Cypriot President also noted that they would discuss how to address in a coordinated way certain issues which have a political dimension.
He said that the close cooperation between Cyprus and Greece in facing the threats and in using the natural resources of the region is very important for the two countries and the EU as well.
Source: Cyprus News Agency