President Christodoulides paying official visit to Greece

Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides is paying a two-day official visit to Greece on 13 and 14 March, at the invitation of the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou. This is President Christodoulides' first official visit abroad since taking office.

During his stay in Athens, President Christodoulides will hold meetings with the political, political, and religious leadership of Greece.

As he had said in an interview with ERT, ahead of his official visit, his presence in Greece will not only be symbolic but also substantial, with particular emphasis on his goal to achieve EU active involvement in the efforts for a Cyprus solution.

President Christodoulides arrived on Sunday, March 12, in the Greek capital, accompanied by his spouse, Philippa Karsera Christodoulides, and members of the Cypriot government.

On Monday morning, at 10:20, he will lay a wreath at the Monument of the Unknown Soldier. He will then proceed to the Presidency of the Hellenic Republic for the official welcoming ceremony and will have a meeting with the President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

At 11:05 he will be awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Redeemer at a decoration ceremony at the Presidential Palace, followed by extended talks between the two delegations.

At 12:00 the President of the Republic of Cyprus will visit the Maximou Mansion, where he will have a meeting with Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis. At 13:30 an official lunch will be hosted in his honor at the Presidential Mansion.

At 17:00 President Christodoulides will meet with the Speaker of the Greek Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, while at 18:00 he will visit the War Museum for the commemorative event of the Historical Memory Council of the EOKA 1955-1959 Struggle.

On Tuesday morning, March 14, at 08:20, he will meet with Greek Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias and at 09:00 with the leader of the main opposition party, Alexis Tsipras.

At 09:50 he will have a meeting with the President of PASOK - Change Movement Nikos Androulakis and at 10:25 with the Secretary General of the KKE Dimitris Koutsoumbas.

Immediately afterwards, at 11:00 he will meet with the President of Hellenic Solution Kyriakos Velopoulos, and at 11:35 with the Secretary of MP25 Yanis Varoufakis.

Finally, at 13:00 the President of the Republic of Cyprus will meet with the Archbishop of Athens and All Greece Ieronymos.

The Cypriot President will be accompanied at his meetings in Athens by Foreign Minister, Constantinos Kombos, Government Spokesman, Constantinos Letymbiotis, Deputy Minister to the President, Irene Piki, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Greece, Kyriakos Kenevezos, the Director of the President’s Office Charalambos Charalambous, the Director of the President’s Diplomatic Office, Marilena Raouna and other officials.

The Foreign Minister, the Government Spokesman, the Deputy Minister to the President, and the Director of the President’s Office will have separate meetings with their Greece counterparts on the sidelines of the President’s visit.

(Source: CNA)