Nicosia: President Nikos Christodoulides described today’s second intergovernmental meeting between Cyprus and Greece as historic, adding that for the first time 14 ministers from Greece’s Cabinet are in Cyprus. The first meeting took place a year ago in Athens. The meeting will be followed by a tripartite summit between Cyprus, Greece, and Jordan in the presence of King Abdullah.
According to Cyprus News Agency, speaking to the press during the tete-a-tete meeting with Greek Premier Kyriakos Mitsotakis, the President said that both countries have had intergovernmental meetings with other states but not between them, and these meetings were established upon a decision taken in 2023 to fill a significant gap. He spoke of results and deliverables so far, adding that these affect the daily lives of the citizens.
The President said that Cyprus received expertise from Athens on digital transformation issues and Cyprus can contribute to the shipping sector, while there are also common aspirations on issues such a
s medicine prices. He said that the latest developments in the Cyprus issue after the informal meeting in New York hosted by UN Secretary General with Cyprus President and Turkish Cypriot leader and regional developments will be discussed, while he also pointed out the meeting Mitsotakis had with the NATO Secretary General yesterday in Athens.
Mitsotakis referred to the special importance of this second meeting, stating that it has a different character and the results so far are measurable, building on the excellent bilateral cooperation. He said that he looks forward to continuing the bilateral cooperation in areas such as digitization, health, shipping, education, and energy. Mitsotakis added that both governments are known because of their reformist disposition, for the good of the citizens.
He praised Cyprus in matters of economic performance, saying that it must be extremely proud of what it has achieved. Mitsotakis said that major national issues will be discussed amid volatile geopolitical developme
nts.
The Greek Prime Minister expressed his satisfaction with the fact that a ceasefire has been achieved in Lebanon, which will allow the implementation of an old decision to defuse the regional crisis, adding that we also need to focus on a ceasefire in Gaza, in order to stop the humanitarian crisis. He added that Greece and Cyprus are always factors of stability in the wider region, and in the case of Greece, this is also recognized by its partners in NATO, the EU, and the US, adding that Cyprus and Greece will always be in coordination in order to be able to strengthen their common footprint.
On July 20, 1974, Turkey invaded Cyprus, violating all rules of international law, including the Charter of the United Nations. The illegal Turkish invasion was carried out in two phases. During the second phase, Turkey took the city of Famagusta under its control and illegally occupies over 36% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus ever since. The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, at
tended an informal dinner on 15th October 2024, with the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General (SG), António Guterres, and the Turkish Cypriot leader, Ersin Tatar, at the UN headquarters in New York.