Your Excellency Minister Bou Habib,
Dear Abdallah,
It is indeed a great pleasure to host today in Nicosia the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Lebanon, Mr. Abdullah Bou Habib. In my view, and I believe this is true for most Cypriots, our proximity with Lebanon is not only geographical, Lebanon is at our heart.
It would not be an exaggeration to say that there is a natural affinity between our peoples, which is further fuelled by the presence of a large and welcoming Lebanese community in Cyprus. We are particularly proud to demonstrate this sincere solidarity between us not only at the level of governments, but also at the level of society in general, whenever our countries face a crisis. We have witnessed this reality time and time again, especially in the aftermath of the terrible explosion in August 2020.
These are indeed very difficult times for Lebanon. We therefore had a very useful conversation with Abdullah, who briefed me on the current situation in the country, the Lebanese government's efforts to address the many challenges and his views on the path the country should take.
For my part, I have conveyed to Minister Bou Habib that, as cordial friends are bound to do, we are following the crisis in Lebanon very closely.
I reiterated our position, which is shared by all our partners in the EU and in the region. Nobody wants to see Lebanon fail, much less Cyprus.
But for Lebanon to truly recover, it is imperative that it takes ownership of the solution to its problems. The international community has indicated its readiness to provide financial and technical assistance. We warmly welcome the staff-level agreement with the IMF and the improved relations with the Gulf States as positive news.
We look forward to the holding of parliamentary elections according to the planned timetable, fair and free elections that will reflect the legitimate aspirations of the Lebanese people.
I reiterated the will of Cyprus and the EU to work with all constructive political forces that will bring about reforms, transparency and accountability to the Lebanese people.
At the same time, we recognise that the situation in Lebanon is far from independent of the regional and global context. The ongoing crisis in Syria and regional conflicts have undoubtedly amplified the challenges that beset Lebanon and complicate its response. Therefore, it is as always necessary to reaffirm our unwavering support for Lebanon's stability, security, territorial integrity, sovereignty and political independence.
We had the opportunity to exchange views on regional issues. The Russian invasion of Ukraine was certainly at the centre of our discussion.
As countries that have experienced war, we cannot but underline our firm support for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine and the need to stop the bloodshed. I listened with great interest and concern to my colleague's analysis of how the war in Ukraine is already affecting the Middle East.
We look forward to developing our trilateral mechanism with Lebanon by focusing on areas of cooperation that respond to Lebanon's current needs and problems. Our aim is for this mechanism to have a positive impact on the lives of our citizens, especially the youth, by providing a model of respect and cooperation.
Finally, I had the opportunity to brief my counterpart on the latest developments on the Cyprus issue and I would like to publicly express our deep appreciation for the Lebanese authorities' longstanding attitude towards our efforts to reunify the island on the basis of the agreed UN parameters.
Dear Abdallah,
I would like to welcome you once again to Cyprus and express my pleasure at the continuation of the frequent and open dialogue between our countries.
Thank you.
(EK/SX)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
