Cyprus and Greece to offer solutions in the Middle East, President Christodoulides says

The 1st Cyprus-Greece High-Level Cooperation Council held in Athens under the chairmanship of Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, focused on a wide range of issues.

Eleven members of the Cypriot Government and their Greek counterparts participated in the council and held bilateral meetings earlier on 10 November.

During their joint statements, after the conclusion of the plenary session of the council, Christodoulides and Mitsotakis expressed great satisfaction with the institutionalisation of the council which offers structured and substantive dialogue and allows for further coordination between the two countries across the entire spectrum of governmental work.

"This is a summit of substantial importance, with concrete results, with action plans to be followed, with deliverables and a mechanism to monitor the implementation of what has been decided," President Christodoulides said.

Emphasis during the discussions was placed on the escalating crisis in the Middle East, with the Cypriot President and the Greek Prime Minister jointly stressing the catalytic role that two countries can play in addressing the humanitarian dimensions.

"The developments as well as the general climate of instability in the Middle East directly affect Greece and Cyprus due to our proximity to the region and the close relations we maintain with all our neighbours. Our two countries, as actors of security and stability in the region, have already undertaken important actions and contacts, offering concrete solutions to de-escalate the crisis and address the huge humanitarian needs", President Christodoulides said.

"Cyprus and Greece are not part of the problem, but by taking advantage of their excellent relations with the states of the region, their proximity to the Middle East and their status as EU member states, they can, and this is exactly what we are doing, be part of the solution, participating substantially in addressing the challenges that arise," he said.

For his part, the Greek Prime Minister congratulated the Cypriot President for Cyprus' initiative to seek maritime corridors of solidarity, assuring that once the technical difficulties of the issue are resolved, Greece will be ready to offer practical assistance. 

The summit also discussed the Cyprus issue, the appointment of a new UN Secretary General envoy to explore the prospects for the resumption of negotiations, as well as the recent developments in the buffer zone.

In addition, the agenda of the talks included Euro-Turkey issues and the effort to improve Greek-Turkish relations, with both sides agreeing that both the normalisation of Greek-Turkish relations and possible progress in Turkey's European course can have a positive impact on the Cyprus issue.

(Source: CNA)