It is with great pleasure that I welcome today my esteemed colleague and dear friend, Minister of Foreign Affairs and Minister of State for Cabinet Affairs of the State of Kuwait. Your Excellency, dear Ahmed, I would like to extend a very warm welcome to you and all members of your delegation to Cyprus.
The circumstances imposed on all of us by the pandemic make travel much more complicated, so I am even more grateful to Ahmed for his visit, which demonstrates the historic ties that bind our countries and reflects the determination of both of us to upgrade our relations to an even higher level.
To this end, we had very substantive and constructive discussions today, following our last meeting on the margins of the UN General Assembly last September.
Indeed, the ties between Cyprus and Kuwait go back to the independence of both our countries. Cypriots remember with gratitude the generous support provided by Kuwait to the Commission of Inquiry on the Missing Persons in Cyprus and the reconstruction works after the Turkish invasion of the island in 1974. There are clear similarities between our two countries, we have had similar historical experiences and we both firmly uphold our commitment to the principles of the UN Charter and international law, attaching due importance to good neighbourly relations.
The signing of the two Memoranda of Understanding a short while ago - one on the establishment of a Joint Commission and the other on the prevention of illicit trafficking in cultural property - are a tangible manifestation of the political will and commitment of both our Governments to upgrade our bilateral relations and cooperation further, for the benefit of the peoples of our countries and our wider region.
In the same context, we also spoke with Ahmed about the prospects of admitting more Kuwaiti students to our universities, the benefits of establishing frequent political consultations, and discussed ideas to give a new dynamic impetus to our trade, economic and investment relations through, among other things, boosting exports of traditional products such as halloumi.
Dear friends,
We all know that geography is destiny. As the EU member state closest than any other to the Middle East and the Gulf region, in recent years we have made strengthening our relations with all the countries in our region - both bilaterally and in small groupings, as well as multilaterally - a top priority and a central pillar of Cyprus' foreign policy. Our efforts in this direction are open to broad participation and are guided by a positive, mutually beneficial and synergistic approach. I am pleased to note that these principles are shared and are central to Kuwait's political approach as well.
Against this background, we also exchanged views today with Ahmed on a range of regional issues, including the ongoing conflicts in Syria and Yemen, the situation in Afghanistan and the prospect of a political transition in Libya. Kuwait's considerations on these issues are particularly important, especially in view of the country's current chairmanship of the Arab League Council and its active role in the Gulf Cooperation Council.
Cyprus has long supported a more active EU role on issues of concern to the countries and multilateral organisations of the wider Middle East and the Gulf region, which, as I always underline, is an important part of the EU's neighbourhood. As we continue to see in practice from time to time, European security and stability are linked to developments in this region.
As expected, EU-Kuwait relations also featured prominently in our discussions. I reiterated our position that these ties are vital in our joint efforts to successfully address the common challenges we face and assured Ahmed that Kuwait can continue to count on Cyprus' support in its efforts to further strengthen its bilateral cooperation with the EU, including the country's membership in the visa waiver programme. In the same spirit, I am delighted that the Minister has accepted my invitation to attend a working breakfast with EU Foreign Ministers to be hosted by Cyprus on the margins of the upcoming EU Foreign Affairs Council on 24 January. This will provide an excellent opportunity for Kuwait's perspective on a range of issues to be heard in Brussels.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
For my part, I also had the opportunity to update Ahmed on the latest developments in relation to the Cyprus problem, following up on the discussion earlier with President Anastasiades. I stressed in particular that Turkey's provocative activities both on the ground, in particular in relation to the fenced area of Varosha, and at sea, within the EEZ of Cyprus, are not only illegal but also have a negative impact on the efforts of the international community under the auspices of the UN Secretary General to reach a solution through the resumption of negotiations aimed at the reunification of the island on the basis of the agreed framework as set out in the relevant Security Council resolutions,
