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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides met today, at the Presidential Palace, with the President of Estonia Mr.Alar Karis, who is on an official visit to Cyprus.
President Karis, accompanied by his wife, went to the Presidential Palace in the morning, where they were received by President Christodoulides and First Lady Philippa Karseras Christodoulides, while a military cavalcade paid tribute.
The National Anthems of the two countries were played and then President Karis laid a wreath at the statue of the National Lord Makarios III.
The two Presidents then had a one-to-one meeting during which they stressed that despite the geographical distance between their countries, nevertheless Cyprus and Estonia maintain very good relations in all areas and share the common will to further strengthen them.
The President of the Republic pointed out that among the issues they will discuss are the Cyprus problem, regional developments, bilateral relations and the situation in Ukraine after the illegal Russian invasion, noting that in Cyprus we know what invasion and occupation means.
The special meeting was followed by extended talks between the delegations of the two countries.
The two Presidents then made statements to the media.
Afterwards, the two Presidents made statements to the media.
In his remarks, President Christodoulides said, inter alia, that Cyprus and Estonia have much in common, having maintained diplomatic relations since 1992.
He noted that both countries are small EU Member States, share the same principles and values and their peoples are resourceful and hard-working.
He added that he and the President of Estonia discussed bilateral relations, EU-related issues, international relations and the Cyprus problem: "Our cooperation is strong as never before. This is demonstrated by the increase in the flow of visits, the growth in trade and the unprecedented increase in people-to-people contacts, which we welcome. We agreed to deepen our cooperation in all areas, including investment, cyber security and shipping."
He also highlighted the fact that the President of Estonia is accompanied by a delegation of businessmen who will take part, together with their Cypriot counterparts, in a forum organised by the CEBE.
The President of the Republic highlighted Estonia's excellent performance in digital technology, which makes it an international standard and noted: "We have much to learn from Estonia's example in our efforts to strengthen our own e-government services." He also referred to a related Memorandum signed by the two countries in 2022.
Referring to Ukraine, President Christodoulides said: "Two years after the illegal Russian invasion and ongoing aggression, we reiterate that lawlessness must not be allowed to prevail. We have an obligation to ensure Ukraine's future as a sovereign, free and fair state, principles that must be upheld without exception."
To this end, today we reaffirmed that we are and will be on the side of Ukraine and, of course, the right side of history."
Regarding the situation in the Middle East, the President said: "We agreed on the need for an urgent de-escalation and resumption of the political process on the basis of the agreed UN framework for a two-state solution."
He added that the Republic of Cyprus, the closest EU member state, with excellent relations with all neighbouring states, is working to create conditions of stability and security.
He also said that in this context he briefed President Karis on the developments on the Amalthea project for the provision of humanitarian assistance in Gaza.
"This initiative, which has the support of many countries and international organisations, does not aim to substitute but is complementary to other efforts to provide humanitarian assistance," the President said.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, President Christodoulides, after noting that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus and the continued occupation of EU territory, he assured that "my vision and sole purpose from the very first moment I took office as President of the Republic is the end of the occupation, the reunification of Cyprus, so that all Cypriots can look forward to a brighter, shared future together.
In the same context, I underlined the importance of the EU itself to contribute with a more active role in these efforts. The tools at the EU's disposal can help us achieve a mutually beneficial state of affairs for all Cypriots, for the EU, for Turkey and for the wider region."
Finally, President Christodoulides said that the first time President of Estonia visited Cyprus was 20 years ago, the same year that Cyprus and Estonia joined the EU.
"This anniversary together with your visit gives us the opportunity to review what we have achieved and most importantly, what is our obligation as Member States, is to achieve an even better future for our citizens."
For his part, President Karis said, among other things, "This meeting underlines the depth of our cooperation with Cyprus and the desire to further expand our friendly relations."
He added that his country wishes to strengthen economic cooperation between the two countries, noting that the business delegation accompanying him represents various sectors, from tourism to shipping.
"There are many things we can do together," the Estonian President said, noting that his country has the expertise in digitisation of public administration.
He also added that Estonia is ready to cooperate with Cyprus in its preparation for the EU Council Presidency.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, President Karis said: "I want to be clear about our position on the reunification of Cyprus. We fully support reunification on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation, in accordance with the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. We must all do our part to achieve this."
Regarding Ukraine, President Karis said: "Russia's war in Ukraine is an attack on all the principles we hold dear. It is important that we continue to stand in solidarity with Ukraine and provide all the help we can give."
He also said that he highly appreciated the support and assistance provided by Cyprus to Ukraine."
On the situation in the Middle East, the President said: "We very much appreciate all the efforts of Cyprus to create a humanitarian corridor and the 'Amalthea' initiative. The 'Amalthea Journey' is a journey of hope and humanity," he added.
On migration, the President of Estonia expressed full support to Cyprus, which is a frontline country among EU Member States facing challenges, and highlighted Estonia's role in FRONTEX.
Asked whether the EU should support Ukraine more dynamically, beyond financial assistance, and whether the EU should be further involved in de-escalating the crisis in the Middle East, for example through the Cyprus initiative, President Christodoulides said: "On the issue of Ukraine, Cyprus has been on the right side of history from the very beginning."
We know very well what invasion and occupation means and we believe that the EU should provide all available means to counter Russian aggression. Of course, each member state has its own potential in what it can offer the EU in its efforts with other international partners to address the situation in Ukraine."
Regarding the situation in Gaza, the President said: "Cyprus as the closest EU member state in the region, a country with excellent relations with all neighbouring states, we are doing our utmost to address the humanitarian crisis in Gaza. At the same time we want to see more EU involvement in the region."
We should highlight the fact that the President of the European Commission visited Egypt two weeks ago as a clear indication of the EU's involvement in the region and I think we need much more EU involvement in the region. And I think that very soon we will be able to visit the other countries in the region, together with the President of the European Commission, such as, for example, Lebanon, which is facing many challenges. Also, what affects Cyprus also affects the EU. I am referring to the migration crisis."
For his part, President Karis said that Estonia has been supporting Ukraine from the very beginning militarily, humanitarian and financially and will continue to do so , calling on other European countries to help. He added, however, that "what needs to be done is to end the war", which affects the entire EU and the Western world at large.
On Gaza, President Karis said that Estonia is doing everything it can to help, noting the need to end the situation.
Asked whether they have discussed concrete ways to strengthen the bilateral relationship in the areas of economy, investment and tourism, President Christodoulides said that they have discussed ways to strengthen the already excellent bilateral relations.
He added that there are prospects for strengthening these relations, particularly in areas such as cybersecurity, digitalisation, shipping and tourism.
He also said that the fact that the President of Estonia is in Cyprus accompanied by a delegation of businessmen is a clear indication of their desire to invest in Cyprus and noted that he is looking forward to his own visit to Tallinn with Cypriot businessmen.
For his part, the Estonian President said that there are many areas of strengthening bilateral cooperation and referred to the economy and investment, noting, for example, the issue of connectivity through direct flights between the two countries.
(PM/NZ/EP)
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