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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Christodoulides, who is on an official visit to Poland, attended last night an official dinner hosted in his and his wife's honour, Mrs Philippa Carcera Christodoulides, by the President of Poland, Mr. Andrzej Duda and his wife, in Warsaw.
In welcoming President Christodoulides, President Duda said, inter alia, speaking through an interpreter, that the first visit of a Head of State to Cyprus was in 1364 by the then King of Cyprus Peter I to the city of Krakow, which President Christodoulides will visit today.
He referred to the 20-year common path of the two countries in the European Union (EU), as well as their diplomatic relations since 1960, noting that Poland was one of the first countries to recognise the Republic of Cyprus.
President Duda thanked the President of the Republic for her stance against Russia's attack on Ukraine, noting: "I was particularly impressed by the wisdom with which the President strives for the good of his nation and to set an example for others."
He also referred to the active Polish archaeological mission, which has been in Cyprus for decades, thanking the President of the Republic for the assistance Poland received from the Cypriot authorities for the establishment of a Polish archaeological centre in Paphos, which will be inaugurated in the coming months.
He added that Poland is the third nation in terms of tourist arrivals to Cyprus, stressing that the number of arrivals to Cyprus from Poland is expected to increase this year.
Finally, the President of Poland expressed confidence that the visit of the presidential couple from Cyprus will further strengthen relations between the two countries.
For his part, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that "Poland and Cyprus are not geographically adjacent, but it is unbelievable how many similarities there are between the two countries. Because you cannot change geography, many times through struggles, hard battles, both Cyprus and Poland have claimed what other countries took for granted. So, it means the Cypriot and Polish people are strong, they always know how to fight and they know that they will always win these difficult battles. The Polish people managed to win their independence, to drive out the occupying power. In Cyprus, we are continuing this struggle to end the occupation and reunite our homeland.
I want to publicly thank Poland and its people for their enduring support for ending the occupation and reunifying our homeland.
These battles that we fight every day, all that we have gone through in our history, leave us no choice but to always be on the right side of history. I want to reiterate that the Republic of Cyprus condemns the illegal Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine. My country, the Cypriot people, know very well what an invasion means, what an occupation means, what a violation of human rights means and we could not have had any different attitude.
And it was this belief in freedom, democracy, peace that led us in 2004, both Cyprus and Poland, to become EU member states. And I am glad because both countries, 20 years later, have not only benefited from the EU, but have also contributed to the development of the EU.
Poland, Cyprus together with Denmark make up the EU Presidency Trio in 2025 and the first half of 2026.
I am confident that, as we did in 2011 and 2012, this time we will meet the challenges of the EU Council Presidency even better.
Talking with President Duda today, we were delighted to see the huge potential for strengthening our bilateral relations.
We are very pleased that we have so many thousands of Polish visitors to Cyprus, we have over 35 flights every week, there is more demand for visits to Cyprus and we will encourage more flights on both sides. The big bet is for Poland to become the second country in a row with the highest number of tourists visiting Cyprus.
Apart from tourism, there is huge potential in the areas of trade and investment.
I am very happy to see the increase in exports from Cyprus to Poland, with halloumi being so high in sales in Poland.
I want to reiterate today, in the most formal way, that as the Republic of Cyprus we have the political will to strengthen our relations at all levels. We have excellent relations, but at the same time there is huge potential to do more. And you can be sure that on the part of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus we will do everything possible. Apart from talking to young people at the University, apart from visiting this beautiful city, the real reason is different. My friend the President and his wife, when they came to Cyprus, visited Paphos, which is my city. So, I return the visit to your hometown, my friend President.
In front of so many professors of archaeology who are here with us, I want to tell you how proud we are of the archaeological mission in Cyprus and even more proud that it is in Paphos. And rest assured that as a Government we will do everything possible to assist the mission.
I express the confidence that our two peoples, precisely because of their strong history, together will continue to successfully face challenges."
(PM/MS/EATH)
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