The President of the Republic met with the Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu in Jerusalem on Sunday afternoon, as part of a one-day working visit. They highlighted efforts to address common challenges and problems, such as the effects of the coronavirus pandemic.
It is worth noting that Anastasiadis and Netanyahu discussed the “Green Passport”. In a post on Social Media, the President of the Republic states:
“I am pleased to announce that from 1/04/21, vaccinated Israeli citizens will not be required to undergo a PCR test when traveling to Cyprus and will not be quarantined upon arrival.”
He also states: “I heard with great interest from the Prime Minister of Israel the news about the treatment against Covid-19 disease that is developing in Tel Aviv Medical Center, also taking into account that the competent authorities have already agreed that Cyprus will participate in the clinical tests”.
In their statements to the media prior to their working dinner, both the President and the Prime Minister stressed the excellent relations between the two countries in all areas, noting the prospects for their further deepening.
Welcoming President Anastasiadis, Mr. Netanyahu said, among other things, that the President of the Republic is a great friend of Israel but also his own, noting that since the election of the President in 2013 they have been working together tirelessly and effectively to build a separate cooperation between the two countries which is constantly strengthening.
Referring to the areas of cooperation, Mr. Netanyahu noted the areas of Energy, water management, tourism, public safety, but also Health, especially through the efforts to deal with the coronavirus pandemic.
He also thanked Cyprus for its willingness to recognize Israeli vaccination passports, something that, as he said, his country will do for Cyprus.
He added that this opens prospects for the start of tourism exchanges between the two countries in the near future.
Energy
On the energy sector, Netanyahu said he would continue to work together on the EastMed gas pipeline between the two countries, which would open up new perspectives, and noted that he had received good suggestions on the issue. by the Prime Minister of Greece during his recent visit to Israel.
He added that the Abraham Accords open new horizons of cooperation in the region, which could include Cyprus.
For his part, President Anastasiadis said, among other things, that the fact that he is accompanied on this working visit to Israel by four Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Defense, Energy and the Deputy Minister of Tourism, who held separate meetings with their Israeli counterparts, shows the strategic depth of relations between the two countries.
Pandemic
He added that they will discuss with Prime Minister Netanyahu issues related to tackling the coronavirus pandemic and ways to alleviate them, noting that vaccination is an extremely important tool for stopping the pandemic.
He also congratulated the Prime Minister on his government's timely vaccination efforts, which made Israel a world champion in this regard, as half of the country's population has been vaccinated and the results are already visible.
He added that he looks forward to learning more about the very successful vaccination process from Israel and to consider ways to deepen cooperation in this area.
He also said that during the working dinner they will have the opportunity to exchange views on the proposal of Israel in relation to the “Green Passport” in view of the resumption of free movement, which is of great importance for Cyprus, which depends on tourism. .
“To this end, I am pleased to inform you that an agreement has been reached between the competent authorities of our countries on the basis of which from 1 April 2021, Israeli citizens who have been vaccinated with a vaccine approved by the European Medicines Agency will not need to do PCR test to travel to Cyprus or to put themselves in self-restraint when it arrives.
I am also interested to hear from the Prime Minister about the new treatment for Covid-19 that is being developed at the Ichilov Medical Center in Tel Aviv, bearing in mind that our competent authorities have agreed that Cyprus will take part in the clinical trials “.
Bilateral relations
Regarding bilateral relations, President Anastasiadis said that the excellent cooperation is reaffirmed, but also the synergies that have been established both bilaterally and multilaterally, while ways of further cooperation in the energy sector will be considered, mainly in projects such as the EastMed pipeline and Eurasia. interconnector.
Referring to the Cyprus issue, the President of the Republic said that he would inform the Prime Minister of Israel about the developments and stressed that the form of the desired solution is the bi-zonal bi-communal federation based on the relevant UN Security Council resolutions and its principles and values. EU.
