Eli Cohen: Cyprus-Israel ties will flourish even further under new government

Visiting Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen said that he expected relations with Cyprus to flourish even further now under the new government, after meeting with the President and his counterpart Constantinos Kombos ahead of Friday’s tripartite meeting between the FMs of Cyprus, Israel and Greece.

Cohen was received by President Nikos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace before meeting with Kombos to discuss the two countries’ bilateral relationship and mutual friendship.

Describing the country as a “safe place” for Israelis, Cohen said Cyprus was the closest island to Israel and one of its top tourist attractions, with 300,000 Israeli tourists visiting the island last year and more than 55 weekly flights expected between the two countries in the upcoming season.

He said that he expressed his appreciation for the great bilateral relations and close strategic cooperation with Cyprus, noting that the two countries are working on a daily basis and at all levels to make those ties stronger.

Cohen said that Israel’s principled position on the Cyprus problem remains the same, adding that it supports the negotiating process for a just, comprehensive and viable solution in line with the agreed framework. He hoped that the President’s recent initiative to resume the negotiations will be successful in regenerating momentum to the process.

During his meeting with Kombos, Cohen said they both stressed the importance of energy collaboration for the benefit and stability of the region, while agreeing on ways to work together to strengthen bilateral economic relations in energy technology and other fields.

In his statements, the Cyprus FM said that their strategic cooperation extends beyond the bilateral level, to the trilateral with Greece and they agreed on their commitment to expand this partnership.

He said that they also agreed that they should advance the opportunities and prospects of a reliable energy corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean basin to Europe adding that this must be seen in the light particularly of the unprovoked Russian aggression in Ukraine and the need for energy diversification and increased interconnectivity.

(Source: CNA)