President: Dutch royal couple’s visit conveys “important message”

The visit of the Dutch royal couple to Cyprus conveys an important message “with many implications for our bilateral relations, but also for the promotion of our country as a tourist destination and for many other things,” President Nikos Christodoulides told journalists after a tour with the King and Queen of the Netherlands along the ceasefire line in the old town of Nicosia.

Asked about the impressions of the Dutch royal couple from the part of the city where the signs of Turkey's occupation are visible, the President said that he deems the presence, for the first time, of the royal couple in Cyprus to be important.

“The Netherlands is a country with which, in recent years, significant work has been done to strengthen our relations,” he noted. “Traditionally, historically, there were no such strong ties,” the President of the Republic pointed out, adding that the visit of the royal couple conveys “an important message with many implications for our bilateral relations, but also for the promotion of our country as a tourist destination and for many other things.”

President Christodoulides also said that the programme of visits by foreign dignitaries to Cyprus includes a special visit to the old town of Nicosia, in order to walk next to the buffer zone, explaining that the Dutch King conveyed to him the message that “it is one thing to read about and quite another to witness this situation.”

Furthermore, the President of the Republic noted the parallels the Dutch King drew between the division of Nicosia and the Berlin Wall, taking into account that his family lived in Germany.

“I consider it particularly important that we started this practice, for all foreign leaders who come here to see this situation,” he concluded.

On his part, the Mayor of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos, stated that the royal couple was made aware of the "unacceptable situation" that emanates from the city's division, adding that this is something that one can realise only after witnessing it.

“The royal couple understood the situation on the ground. Their surprise and their sadness at what they saw was obvious,” Prountzos pointed out, adding that they also witnessed the historical aspects of the city, along with the new and dynamic elements of a European capital.

He expressed hope that they will take with them a sense of "the need to end this unacceptable state of affairs in our semi-occupied city.”

Dignitaries arrived at Nicosia City Hall on Wednesday morning, where they were welcomed by the Mayor of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos, and his wife, Gogo Alexandrinou, accompanied by the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Dr. Athena Michaelidou. The royal couple visited the rooftop deck of the City Hall, offering views across the city, and were briefed by the Mayor.

Afterwards, they walked along the cease fire line in the old town, leading to Faneromeni Square, where they were welcomed by children from the Faneromeni Public Kindergarten singing a Cypriot folk song.

A "Green Line" drawn in the early 1960s after intercommunal trouble, is dividing Cyprus' capital, Nicosia, ever since.

After Faneromeni, the royal couple returned to Nicosia City Hall, from where they departed in order to follow the rest of their programme.

(Source: CNA)