President has ‘forward looking’ meeting with Herzog
Source: Cyprus Mail
President Nikos Christodoulides had a “forward looking discussion with my good friend President Isaac Herzog” on Sunday during his one-day trip to Jerusalem.
He said the meeting with his Israeli counterpart focussed on addressing challenges and creating opportunities for our neighbourhood.
“Cyprus is a reliable, stable, trustworthy partner committed to regional cooperation, and a bridge between our region and the EU,” he said in a social media post.
Herzog thanked Christodoulides for help extended by Cyprus to put out the recent fires in Israel.
He also thanked him for going ahead with his visit despite the attack on Tel Aviv’s Ben Gurion airport, claimed by the Houthis.
“Cyprus is one of Israel’s closest friends,” Herzog said, pointing out that more than 110 flights per week are operated between the two countries.
Christodouides said that both on the issue of fires and other challenges, only through regional cooperation can these challenges be addressed.
He added that Cyprus is a reliable and predictable neighbour that works for more cooperation with other states, but also for the further utilisation of the enormous potential of the region for the benefit of the peoples and states of the Middle East and the wider Eastern Mediterranean.
Through dialogue alone, he added, can disagreements and the different political approaches be resolved.
He also expressed his deep emotion from meeting with hostage families earlier on Sunday.
“This is a purely humanitarian issue,” Christodoulides said, “it is not a political or geopolitical issue. I want to reiterate our clear position that all hostages must be released immediately and in this effort Cyprus will do whatever it takes to return more hostages.”
Christodoulides said the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Israel were excellent, adding, however, that even more can always be done in areas such as energy, trade and tourism.
He said one of the main priorities for Cyprus when it takes on the presidency of the EU is to bring the EU closer to the region and highlight its importance, stressing that Cyprus is the region’s ambassador to the EU.
The meeting was followed by extended talks between the two delegations on bilateral relations, energy, developments in the Cyprus problem and the situation in the Middle East.
According to deputy government spokesman Yiannis Antoniou, supporters of Simon Aykut, detained in Cyprus for allegedly usurping Greek Cypriot properties in the north, demonstrated outside the Israeli presidential palace during the meeting demanding his release.
Christodoulides will next meet Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Afterwards, he will travel to Ramallah, Palestine, where he will meet President of the Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas, who will host a working dinner.
Before departing, the president will visit the Unicef offices in Ramallah and have a meeting with the agency’s executives.
The visit of the President of the Republic to Israel and Palestine also takes place in view of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union by the Republic of Cyprus.
The original article: belongs to Cyprus Mail .
