NICOSIA, Tuesday, June 14, 2022 (WAFA) – Cyprus' President Nicos Anastasiades today reiterated his country’s support for peace in the Middle East and the creation of the independent Palestinian state.

Speaking in a press conference with President Mahmoud Abbas in Nicosia, Anastasiades stated that Cyprus maintains its long-standing principled position calling for the realization of peace and finding a solution to the Palestinian question based on the United Nations Security Council (UNSC) resolutions enshrining the creation of an independent and sovereign Palestinian state.

He described bilateral Palestinian-Cypriot relations as “historical” and expressed interest in furthering cooperation.

“It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Cyprus my friend and President of the State of Palestine. The visit by Mahmoud Abbas confirms both the historical ties between our peoples as well as the will to further deepen our cooperation at all levels,” Anastasiades wrote on Twitter.

Both Presidents discussed the ways to trilateral cooperation between Cyprus, Palestine and Greece while underscoring the need to convene the first trilateral summit to put in place political initiatives that would set an example of trust-based regional cooperation and forge a shared vision to help bring about security, stability and peace in the region.

Anastasiades expressed his gratitude to President Abbas for his unambiguous support to Cyprus’ initiative aimed at combating the consequences of climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as for dispatching firefighters to Cyprus to battle fires in July 2021 while stressing the need for new initiatives to establish a regional firefighting base in the Eastern Mediterranean.

He welcomed the signing of memoranda of understanding on diplomatic training and development cooperation between Cyprus and Palestine and stressed the need to consolidate the institutional framework of cooperation and furthering cooperation between the universities, business sector, civil society from both countries and in the fields of tourism, agriculture and education.

K.F.