President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides and President of Palestine Mahmoud Abbas held a meeting on Wednesday in Ramallah stressing the excellent ties between Cyprus and Palestine as well as the opportunities that have to be exploited to further strengthen their relations. President Christodoulides, who is paying an official visit there, also said that they agreed to organise in 2023 a tripartite summit between Cyprus, Greece and Palestine. According to a press release by the Presidency of Cyprus, President Abbas and President Christodoulides held a meeting in Ramallah. Speaking through an interpreter, after the meeting, President Abbas welcomed President Christodoulides saying that his visit is an 'important opportunity to strengthen the friendly relations and cooperation between the two states and their friendly peoples in various fields, such as trade and tourism, as well as various aspects of economic cooperation.' He commended the support provided by Cyprus in the field of business and scholarships for students and expressed his appreciation for the effective political role of Cyprus within the EU 'which we hope will continue to support the State of Palestine for its full membership in the United Nations, as well as for its recognition by most of the European countries as part of the last chance for a two-state solution based on international law". He also said that what is happening in the occupied Palestinian territories is a project "implemented by the Israeli governments that are persecuting" the Palestinians, adding that they are "rushing to destroy the peace process". He added that what is needed is "action by the international community to stop Israel" and "to save what is left of the two-state solution". In his statements, President Christodoulides recalled Abbas's visit to Cyprus in 2022 and said that his visit is indicative of the historic, strong ties among the peoples of Palestine and Cyprus and the common will to further enhance their relations. He said that they had the opportunity to discuss three main issues. The first, he said was bilateral relations and the need to further strengthen them to reflect the level of relations between the peoples of Palestine and Cyprus. He added that "for this reason we will work to strengthen our bilateral relations in the field of trade, culture, tourism. There are excellent relations, but at the same time there are opportunities that we must exploit". The second issue, he added, concerns the tripartite cooperation with Greece and stated that they agreed to organise a Summit at the level of heads of state and government in 2023, so that this regional cooperation which is based on a positive agenda is strengthened to the extent of the other tripartite partnerships. The third issue they discussed was developments in the region, the Palestinian issue and the Cyprus issue. He reiterated the clear position of the Republic of Cyprus in relation to the need to resolve the Palestinian issue on the basis of two states as provided for by the relevant UN resolutions and based on the 1967 meetings. President Christodoulides also thanked Palestine for its long-lasting support in relation to the solution of the Cyprus issue, based on the agreed UN solution framework, and said that it is particularly important that this position of Palestine has not changed. "Both Cyprus and Palestine, we are in a region, which faces many challenges and, as you very well know, we cannot change geography, that is why all the countries in the region should work together, to create those conditions to resolve any differences, any disagreements. always on the basis of international law," he stressed. He assured Abbas that the Republic of Cyprus being the EU member state in the region, will do everything possible so that the region that has its problems, challenges, but also opportunities, attracts the international interest needed so as to resolve any differences that exist. Concluding, he expressed satisfaction for being in Ramallah and assured of the political will to further strengthen bilateral relations. The press release of the Presidency says that in the context of the official visit of President Christodoulides, a Memorandum of Understanding was signed between the Governments of Cyprus and Palestine for the financing of the construction of a community center in the village of Ein Qinya. The construction of the Center, it is added, concerns the amount of 200,000 euro from the development budget of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for aid to Palestine, while the construction site was indicated by the Palestinian Authority. After the signing, President Abbas hosted an official lunch in honor of the President of the Republic and the Cypriot delegation. The President of the Republic is accompanied to Ramallah by Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos, Government Spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis, Representative of the Republic in Ramallah Demetris Assos, Director of the Middle East, Gulf and Africa Department at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs Salina Shambos, Deputy Director of the Diplomatic Office of the President Doros Venezis and other officials. Meanwhile, in a press release, the Embassy of the State of Palestine in Cyprus says that the President and the accompanying delegation arrived in Ramallah from Jordan by helicopters provided by the Jordanian Armed Forces. It notes that it is the first visit of a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Palestine since 2015. Upon his arrival in Ramallah, it adds, President Christodoulides visited the Mausoleum of President Yasser Arafat, where he laid a wreath and then visited the Yasser Arafat Museum. The President of the Republic and the accompanying delegation were guided to the museum which presents the modern national history of Palestine through the biography of the founding president, Yasser Arafat, it adds. Afterwards, the press release says, the President went to the Presidential Palace, where he was received by President Abbas, while a military parade saluted and the National Anthems were played. It notes that among the topics they discussed were developments in Cyprus, bilateral relations, regional developments and the Middle East. The private meeting was followed by extended talks between the delegations and the signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation between the Governments of Cyprus and Palestine to finance the construction of a community center in the village of Ein Qinya. Afterwards, the two Presidents made statements to the media which was followed by a working lunch of the two Presidents and their delegations. The President of the State of Palestine was accompanied by the Minister of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates, Dr. Riyadh al-Maliki, the Senior Diplomatic Advisor to Palestinian President, Mr. Mahmoud Abbas, Dr. Majdi Khaldi (Minister), the General Intelligence Service Major General, Majed Faraj (Minister), the Minister of Information, Nabil Abu Rudeineh, the Ambassador of Palestine in Cyprus, Abdallah Attari, and the Deputy Prime Minister, Dr. Ziad Abu Amr, the Embassy says.
Source: Cyprus News Agency