Cyprus and Armenia to open embassies in Yerevan and Nicosia

Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos and his Armenian counterpart Ararat Mirzoyan announced the imminent opening of permanent diplomatic missions in Yerevan and Nicosia, following a meeting in Nicosia.

The two Ministers discussed, inter alia, bilateral relations, the Cyprus problem, the process of normalisation of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, and Armenia-EU relations.

The joint statements of the two ministers were preceded by the signing of the Visitors' Book by the Armenian Foreign Minister, a private meeting of the two ministers and extended talks between the two delegations.

In his opening statement, Kombos said that the "strong bilateral relations between our two countries and our peoples" were once again confirmed, noting that a very productive discussion took place on a number of issues.

He said that on bilateral level, the opening of diplomatic missions in Cyprus and Armenia is imminent. " This will facilitate the further deepening of the cooperation and the ties between our countries, especially as regards economic cooperation and investments. It will, of course, be expanding the people-to-people contacts that are already in place," he said.

Kombos stressed that the Armenian community in Cyprus is a very valuable part and element of the Cypriot society, noting that "it serves as a catalyst to keep our historical ties alive and our common heritage strong, and of course to strengthen our political convergence".

The Foreign Minister said that he briefed his Armenian counterpart on the latest developments in the Cyprus problem, saying that "the Republic of Cyprus is extremely grateful for the principled position that Armenia has consistently adopted regarding the Cyprus problem."

He furter noted that Cyprus strongly promotes and supports the deepening of relations between Armenia and the European Union, noting that "we welcome two recent developments, the assistance under the European Peace Facility in support of Armenia, and secondly, the opening of the visa liberalization dialogue between the European Union and Armenia".

These are very important steps, he added assuring his Armenian counterpart that "you can be sure that you have our full support".

He added that the process of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan was also discussed, noting that "diplomatic discussion, dialogue, is the only way of resolving any kind of disputes. At the same time, coercive tactics cannot be dictating how that dialogue is being conducted". He noted that sovereignty and territorial integrity must be respected, stressing that "this is not something that could be negotiated."

On his part, the Armenian Foreign Minister said that Armenia has expressed its solidarity with the Republic of Cyprus, supporting its efforts to find a just and lasting solution to the Cyprus problem in line with relevant UN Security Council resolutions and international law. "Our commitment is also reflected in the vision of establishing durable peace in our immediate neighborhood, the Southern Caucasus," he noted.

He pointed out that Cyprus-Armenia relations have consolidated "to a point where the presence of resident diplomatic missions in our capitals is simply a must ", announcing that Armenia and Cyprus will open reciprocally embassies in the capitals of the two countries in the coming months.

At the same time, he pointed out that trade turnover between the two countries has increased over the past year, expressing confidence that the positive momentum should continue.

Referring to Armenia's partnership with the European Union, he said that "this is my first visit to a member state of the European Union after the milestone decisions were taken by the EU Council on July 27, namely on launching the visa liberalization dialogue with Armenia and providing assistance to our country under European Peace Facility."

"At the moment we are in the middle of an important process of deepening our relations with the European Union. We have a new partnership agenda," he said.

Mirzoyan also said that regional developments and the overall situation around Cyprus and Armenia were also discussed, underlining that "it is obvious that our partnership, friendship and cooperation have become even stronger due to the need to overcome common challenges."

He stressed that Armenia is committed to peace and stability and thanked Cyprus for the assistance provided to the Armenian people who were forcibly displaced from Nagorno-Karabakh.

He added that he informed his Cypriot counterpart, inter alia, about the importance of signing the peace treaty with Azerbaijan, stipulating the mutual recognition of territorial integrity based on the 1991 Almaty declaration, as well as the importance of ensuring the continuity of the limitation process on the basis of the same declaration and thus the 1991 borderline.

(Source: CNA, Photo: PIO)