New york: Cyprus Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos wrapped up a week of intensive diplomacy at the United Nations General Assembly’s High-Level Week in New York, stressing the Cyprus issue, the country’s upcoming EU Council Presidency, and the strengthening of strategic partnerships.
According to Cyprus News Agency, Kombos held around 50 meetings with counterparts from across the globe, both bilaterally and within multilateral and trilateral formats, aimed at advancing issues directly affecting Cyprus and its interests. Particular emphasis was placed on briefing partners on the Cyprus problem, especially in regions such as Central Asia and Africa, while also showcasing the advantages of Cyprus’ forthcoming EU Council Presidency in acting as a bridge between the European Union and third countries.
The Minister highlighted the importance of developing ties with Gulf and Arab states, pointing out the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation with Saudi Arabia as a landmark achievement of the week. The agreement, signed on Friday with Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, covers a wide range of sectors including economy, trade, investment, education, science, technology, culture, media, and tourism.
According to the Foreign Ministry, the memorandum establishes a framework for deepening cooperation in areas of strategic importance, including scientific research, cultural and youth exchanges, media collaboration, and the promotion of tourism between the two countries. Both sides also reaffirmed their shared will to boost investment flows and agreed to organize reciprocal visits at multiple levels to consolidate bilateral ties.
Kombos underlined that Cyprus has neither the luxury of inaction nor disengagement, stressing instead the duty to project the country’s interests abroad through active diplomacy. He singled out his meetings with Indian and Saudi counterparts as particularly significant, noting India’s ‘huge potential’ for future synergies and describing the agreement with Riyadh as an institutional milestone that could pave the way for tangible investments and enhanced cooperation.
‘Cyprus’ interests largely converge with those of many of our partners in the region,’ he said. ‘Our aim is to transform these shared interests into concrete outcomes for the benefit of our people and the Republic of Cyprus.’ Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.