President of Slovakia Zuzana Caputová, wished for a peaceful reunification of Cyprus the soonest possible, in a private meeting that followed the credentials presentation of the new Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the country, Michalis Karagiorgis, at the Presidential Palace in Bratislava, on Tuesday. According to an official statement, in the meeting after the ceremony, the Ambassador conveyed the heartfelt greetings of the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, to President Caputová. He also conveyed the will of the Government to further strengthen and deepen ‘the excellent relations’ between the two countries, as well as their cooperation, both bilaterally and within the framework of the European Union and other international organisations. Karagiorgis expressed Cyprus’ gratitude for Slovakia’s long-standing ‘valuable contribution’ to the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus through the Slovak Contingent, it said. ‘He also noted the high political importance of Slovakia’s initiatives to facilitate dialogue between the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot parties’ it added. The Ambassador, it is noted, referred to the challenges that Cyprus faces due to the ongoing illegal occupation by Turkey and informed about the initiative of the President of the Republic for the resumption of talks to resolve the Cyprus issue. It adds that the Slovak President returned the warm greetings to the President of the Republic and wished for the peaceful reunification of Cyprus the soonest possible. She also referred to the growing bilateral relations of the two countries, noting the progress achieved in areas such as tourism, start-ups and new technologies, it added. She also expressed her interest in further strengthening bilateral relations and cooperation, especially in the areas of investment and green transition, the announcement said. 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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency