The King and Queen of The Netherlands' state visit to Cyprus is underway (pics)

King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima of the Netherlands are Cyprus, for a two-day state visit, following an invitation by President Nikos Christodoulides.

This is the first time that the Dutch Royal Couple are visiting Cyprus and the visit is set to mark the beginning of a closer cooperation between Cyprus and the Netherlands.

The two were welcomed at Larnaca International Airport by Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Vasiliki Kassianidou on the evening of Monday, 3 March.

The official welcoming ceremony of King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima took place at the Presidential Palace on the morning of Tuesday, 4 March.

They were received by the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, and his spouse, Philippa Karsera Christodoulides.

A private meeting followed after which extensive talks between the delegations of the two countries took place.

The agenda included issues of bilateral cooperation such as economy-investments, defence, shipping, education-student exchange (approximately 700-800 Cypriot students go to the Netherlands to study each year), issues of agricultural economy, archaeology and tourism. On the agenda are also regional developments in Ukraine and the Middle East, migration, the Cyprus issue and EU-Turkey relations.

Queen Máxima was given a tour of the Presidential Palace's gardens during the official talks.

After extended talks between the delegations, the President of the Republic and the King of the Netherlands made statements to the press.

The Royal Couple then proceeded to the House of Representatives, where they will be welcomed by the President of the House Annita Demetriou.

This was to be followed by a visit to the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC), in Larnaca, where they will be welcomed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos.

The Royal Couple of the Netherlands are accompanied by the Minister of Education, Eppo Bruins who met with his Cypriot counterpart Dr. Athena Michaelidou.

Early in the afternoon, the Royal Couple will travel to the village of Xylofagou, in Famagusta district, where they will be given a tour of a  potato plantations by the Minister of Agriculture Maria Panayiotou. She will then accompany them to Liopetri, where they will visit the facilities of a potato production company.

In the evening, the President of the Republic and the First Lady will host an official dinner in honor of the Royal Couple of the Netherlands, at the Presidential Palace.

On Wednesday, 5 March, the President of the Republic and the First Lady will travel with the Dutch Royal Couple to Nicosia Town Hall where they will be welcomed by Mayor Charalambos Prountzos and then they will tour the old city along the buffer zone and visit the Church of Panagia Faneromeni.

The Royal Couple will then go to the House of Cooperation, where they will meet graduates of Dutch universities.

Their visit also includes a tour of the renowned archaeological site of Choirokoitia, where they will be welcomed by the Deputy Minister of Culture Vasiliki Kassianidou. The Neolithic settlement of Choirokoitia, occupied from the 7th to the 4th millennium B.C., is one of the most important prehistoric sites in the eastern Mediterranean. It has been listed as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO since 1998

Dutch archaeologists from the University of Leiden – where the King studied – are currently carrying out excavations at the Palloures site in Chloraka.

In the afternoon, the King and Queen together with the President of the Republic, the First Lady and other dignitaries, will attend a concert with Dutch and Cypriot artists at THOK, which the Royal Couple is organizing in honor of President Christodoulides and the First Lady in return for their hospitality. The Royal Couple will depart Cyprus late Wednesday evening.

During the private meeting between the Royal Couple and the President of the Republic, in the presence of the First Lady, Philippa Karsera Christodoulides, on Tuesday, a ceremony of awarding and an exchange of gifts will take place.

During the expanded talks between the delegations of the two countries, the Dutch Queen will tour the Presidential Palace Garden with the First Lady. This is a model organic farm, within the framework of a European Cross-Border Cooperation programme.  

Also read: King of The Netherlands praises Cyprus' role in the region

Also read: Cyprus-Netherlands to enhance bilateral relations President and King pledge

Also read: King and Queen of the Netherlands meet with President Christodoulides, First Lady (pics)

Also read: The King and Queen of The Netherlands in Cyprus for a state visit

(Sources: CNA/PIO)