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Mutual will of Christodoulidis – Duda to strengthen Cyprus – Poland relations

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Αμοιβαλα βοyλη&sigma ηιτοδ–εση ;ωσεωρολνiσ /></p> <p> </source> </p> <p>The mutual will to further strengthen the already excellent relations between Cyprus and Poland was expressed today by the Presidents of the two countries, after the talks they had in Warsaw, in the context of the official visit of the President of the Republic Mr. <strong>Nikos Christodoulidis</strong> in the country at the invitation of his counterpart Mr. Andrzej Duda.</p> <p>In his statements to the media, after the talks, President Christodoulidis said:</p> <p>“It is a great pleasure and a great honor for me to be in Poland today, on this historic, first official bilateral visit by the President of the Republic of Cyprus. A visit and discussion that we had, which not only confirms our excellent political relations, which were strengthened in particular after our accession to the EU in 2004, but which also <strong>aims to further strengthen our cooperation, on many issues, in particular on the issues tourism, trade and investment, which in recent years have shown an enviable perspective.</strong></p> <p>Especially in terms of tourism, there is an impressive increase in tourist flows from both sides between Poland and Cyprus. <strong>For example, it is estimated that in 2024 we will welcome 300,000 Polish tourists to Cyprus, and we are here to increase this number even more with more than 35 flights per week.</strong></p> <p>Currently, <strong>Poland is the 3rd country with the largest number of arrivals in Cyprus.</strong></p> <p>In connection with trade, I note with great satisfaction the considerable increase in our trade. Characteristically, I should mention that in 2023, the total trade between our countries reached 113 million euros, marking an increase of more than 7.1% compared to 2022. trade but also mutual investments between our countries and we will work concretely and substantially in this direction.</strong></p> <p>I am absolutely convinced that the two countries are united by common, historical experiences, while geography played and plays a decisive role in their historical development. The thirst for freedom and independence led the two peoples to struggle for freedom from occupying powers and foreign intrigues. <strong>The people of Poland succeeded and now enjoy freedom and democracy in their country.</strong>We in Cyprus continue our struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland and its people and I would like to take the opportunity of my presence here to publicly thank the country, because it has always supported our efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, but also wherever the Cyprus issue is being discussed, either at the UN or at the Council of Europe and elsewhere.</p> <p>At the same time, the desire for progress and prosperity was what led both Poland and Cyprus to join the great European family. <strong> Three weeks ago we had the pleasure to celebrate together – and together with eight other countries – the completion of 20 years since joining the European Union.</strong>An integration which, among many others, contributed decisively to the strengthening of our bilateral relations. After 20 years in the EU, we are not new members.</p> <p>The culmination of this strengthened cooperation is the joint exercise with Denmark of the trio of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2011. -2012. <strong>This experience brought us even closer, and despite the fact that it was the first time that our two countries were called upon to take on this important responsibility, they carried it out fully and successfully.</strong></p> <p >Ahead of us again is the exercise of the Presidency trio of 2025 and the first half of 2026. And since we have now been EU member states for 20 years, the demands on us will be particularly high, as are the many international challenges. which we will be asked to manage, mainly at the geopolitical level. <strong>Our cooperation and coordination has already begun and I am fully confident that we will respond even better to this common challenge.</strong></p> <p>Speaking of challenges at the geopolitical level, I could not fail to mention the invasion and Russia's continued aggressive policy against Ukraine, which undoubtedly affects security in the wider region.</p> <p>Cyprus, itself a victim of an illegal invasion and half a century of continuous occupation, has from the first moment stood on the right side of History. Invasion, occupation, violation of international law, wherever it comes from is reprehensible and should be stopped. <strong>Just as the war in Gaza should also be ended, which not only creates instability in the wider region, which is adjacent to the EU, but also causes an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. </strong>And my home country, Cyprus, the EU member state closest to the region and which maintains excellent relations with all neighboring states, proceeded to create a maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza. Our goal, through the initiative, is for us to contribute, in collaboration with our partners, to dealing with this crisis, through the provision of uninterrupted humanitarian aid to all those who are in immediate need.</p> <p>In this context, allow me to express on behalf of the Government and the Cypriot people my sincere condolences to the relatives of Damien Sobol, member of the NGO World Central Kitchen, <strong>who along with six other people, lost his life on April 1, performing his duty, delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.</strong></p> <p>Mr. President, in closing, I would like one more time to express my gratitude for the warm hospitality and the very constructive discussions we had.</p> <p>Tomorrow I will also have the great pleasure of visiting your hometown, the historic city of Krakow, where, among other things, I will have the opportunity to meet and discuss the future of Europe with students of the Jagiellonian University, which, as I have been informed , you are a graduate”.</p> <p><strong> For his part, the President of Poland </strong>said, among other things, speaking through an interpreter, that “this is the first visit of the head of the Republic of Cyprus to Poland , this is a historic moment”.</p> <p>He added that today he and President Christodoulidis had talks on many issues of common interest, noting that they underlined that Cyprus is a very interesting destination for Poles since it is a country with a huge history and for this reason major Polish excavations are taking place. <strong>He also added that Poland bought a building in Paphos which is used as an archaeological excavation center by the groups of Poles who have been active in this field in Cyprus for six decades.</strong></p> <p> He also mentioned that in 2023 more than 270 thousand Poles visited Cyprus and these numbers are constantly increasing.</p> <p>The President of Poland also said that he informed President Christodoulides about the situation <strong>regarding the hosting of Ukrainian refugees and that they also discussed the situation in the Middle East.</strong></p> <p>He also thanked , the Republic of Cyprus for supporting the President of the Republic and the Government in relation to Russia's invasion of Ukraine.</p> <p>Referring to the Cyprus issue, <strong>the President of Poland assured of his country's position that the Cyprus problem must be resolved on the basis of UN resolutions.</strong></p> <p>He added that they also discussed the issues of the European agenda including upcoming EU elections.</p> <p>Then to a journalist's question about ways to further strengthen bilateral relations, the President of the Republic said that there is a very good infrastructure for the prospect of strengthening these relations, noting that “I already mentioned in the fields of trade, tourism and investment. <strong>In tourism we want to see more flights, beyond the existing 35, we are in some discussions with Polish and Cypriot companies for more flights and we think we can reach half a million arrivals from Poland.</strong> It is an achievable goal and in this direction we are working”.</p> <p>In response to a question about Poland's stance on the Cyprus issue, President Christodoulidis said that “both in the UN and in the Council of Ministers where important achievements of the Cyprus issue are discussed, but also within the EU, <strong>Poland has always supported the positions of the Republic of Cyprus and it is for this reason that today I felt the need to publicly thank the President of the country”.</strong></p> <p>On his part, the President of Poland said that “the Polish position has not changed for years, I underlined this in the discussions with the President. We Poles completely understand this delicate issue”, expressing the wish for a reunited Cyprus. </p> <p><noindex></p> <div class=Source: www.philenews.com

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