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Any improvement in relations betweenIsrael and Turkey will not be to the detriment of Cyprus or any other country in the region, Israel's Ambassador to Cyprus, Oran Anolik, told CNA, on the occasion of the official visit of Israeli President Isaac Herzog to Cyprus on Wednesday 2 March.
According to the Israeli Ambassador, President Herzog's visit to Cyprus is proof of the excellent relations between the two countries. "We are friends, we are partners, we cooperate on various issues and sectors and together we promote common interests for the benefit of both peoples," he said, adding that "Cyprus and Israel are linked by strong and substantial ties that date back even before the establishment of our states."
"President Herzog's own family history proves it, as his grandfather made an investment in Cyprus in the 1930s in Fassouri. This is just one example of how Cypriots and Israelis have these deep, almost historical roots, which continue to bear fruit even today."
As the Israeli diplomat said, this is a very good opportunity to exchange views at the highest level on both bilateral and regional developments. "President Herzog and President Anastasiades will probably discuss the trilateral relationship together with Greece, but also the mutual interest we have in using this trilateral platform to promote synergies with other countries such as the US (3+1 format), moderate Arab countries such as Egypt, and the Abrahamic Pact countries, the UAE or Bahrain."
Ahead of the Israeli President's visit to Turkey next week, Mr. Anolik said that the possibility of improving relations between Israel and Turkey will also be discussed.
He stressed, however, that "we are very careful on this issue, we are discussing with Turkey with our eyes wide open and at the same time we continue to send a very clear message to everyone that any improvement between Israel and Turkey will not be to the detriment of Cyprus or any other country," adding that "we understand the situation in the region, we understand who our friends are, who our partners are and we have no intention of doing anything that will be detrimental to our friends and the region."
In addition, Anolik said issues such as energy, climate change, emergency response and fighting fires will also be part of the meeting's agenda.
Asked if Ukraine will also be part of the discussions, Mr. Anolik said that since it is the number one issue on the global agenda, it is very likely to be discussed during the meeting between the two Presidents. "Neither of our countries is a major player in this issue, so I don't think it will take up much of the discussion, we will try to look together at our approaches to what we are doing and what we are learning from this development," he added.
Finally, asked whether higher education and research could be part of the future scope for the development of bilateral relations, the Israeli Ambassador said that "this is not a question of the future, but undoubtedly of the present. In the last two weeks I had the opportunity to visit three different universities in Cyprus and we discussed the possibilities of cooperation in the field of education. There are already active relations and many agreements between universities in Cyprus and Israel."
"I also know that there are Israeli students who come to Cyprus to study in medical schools, and Israel is very interested in bringing foreign students, also from Cyprus, to study in Israeli higher education institutions. This issue will definitely be part of the agenda," he concluded.
Source: CNA
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