The President of the Republic Mr Nicos Anastasiades met today at the Presidential Palace with the Prime Minister of Croatia Mr Andrei Plenkovic, who is on an official visit to Cyprus.
The Prime Minister arrived at the Presidential Palace in the morning, where he was officially received by the President of the Republic, while at the same time a military contingent paid tribute.
The National Anthems were played and the Croatian Prime Minister laid a wreath at the statue of Makarios III.
This was followed by a private meeting between President Anastasiades and the Prime Minister of Croatia, who then attended extended talks between the delegations of the two countries.
Later, the President of the Republic and the Prime Minister of Croatia made statements to the media.
In his statement, President Anastasiades said, inter alia, that the visit of Prime Minister Plenkovic, the first Croatian Prime Minister to Cyprus, is a turning point in bilateral relations, adding that next year will mark the 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between the two countries.
He added that the political dialogue at the highest level conducted in recent years between the two countries had resulted in bilateral relations entering a new phase, particularly in the fields of Education, Tourism, Trade and Investment.
He also pointed out that the Cyprus Government attaches great importance to the completion of the Double Tax Avoidance Agreement between Cyprus and Croatia, which will strengthen bilateral economic relations.
On tourism, the President said that the increase in direct flights between the two countries in the last two years will continue to contribute to further strengthening cooperation in this sector.
He added that during the bilateral consultations today it was agreed to take initiatives to increase the volume of trade in goods and services, as well as the implementation of investment programmes, while in the field of digital switchover, the President referred to the recent signing of a Memorandum of Understanding with Estonia, expressing the desire to further strengthen cooperation in this area.
With regard to shipping, the President said that given Cyprus' expertise, he proposed to the Croatian Prime Minister the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in this field between the two countries.
President Anastasiades also said that they discussed issues on the European agenda, especially the situation in Ukraine, on which he was briefed by the Croatian Prime Minister after his visit to Kiev on 8 May, noting that the situation is deteriorating at an alarmingly high speed.
He underlined that the EU would continue to support Ukraine politically, diplomatically, economically and technically, but also to express full support for its independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity.
"At the same time, we are united in adopting sanctions against Russia in an effort to put pressure on it to reconsider its actions, end hostilities and engage in negotiations to find a diplomatic solution," the President said, adding that we know that these sanctions inevitably have a cost for our own economies as well.
"Recently we have seen some proposals that may have a huge negative impact on Member States' economies and a questionable impact on Russia," the President said, adding that what needs to be taken into account is that for maximum effect, third countries cooperating with the EU need to align their foreign and security policies with those of the EU.
"I am referring, among others, to Turkey. Turkey's decision not to align itself with the sanctions against Russia is unacceptable and it is right for the EU to put pressure on Turkey to adopt these sanctions and to abandon the self-interest tactics that, among other things, undermine the aim of the sanctions."
He also said that he and the Prime Minister discussed issues related to migration, climate change, the Western Balkans, as well as the energy crisis, to address which there is a need for alternative energy sources as a strategic priority and to accelerate related projects, noting that he briefed the Prime Minister on projects such as the EastMed pipeline and the EuroAsia, EuroAfrica interconnector).
Referring to the Cyprus issue, President Anastasiades said he briefed the Prime Minister on the latest developments and his proposals for confidence-building measures, as well as on the intransigent stance of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot leadership.
He also briefed on Turkey's ongoing provocations and violations both on the territory and in the maritime zone of the Republic of Cyprus.
Nevertheless, he said, he would continue efforts and insisted on the need for the Turkish Cypriot side to return to the negotiations to resume the talks from where they had been interrupted.
Finally, he thanked the Prime Minister of Croatia for his country's and his personal support for the efforts to find a lasting and workable solution to the Cyprus problem.
For his part, the Croatian Prime Minister said, inter alia, that his visit offers the possibility of further strengthening bilateral relations in various areas such as energy, trade, investment in sectors such as pharmaceutical companies and digital technology.
He also said that they discussed the issue of migration, an issue that creates a huge problem in Cyprus due to the large numbers of illegal immigrants from Turkey, Africa and elsewhere.
He also said that they discussed the issue of migration, an issue that creates a huge problem in Cyprus due to the large numbers of illegal immigrants from Turkey, Africa and elsewhere.
Referring to the energy crisis, the Prime Minister said that Cyprus and Croatia can study ways for both countries to benefit from their potential in terms of gas, pipelines and other related investments.
On the Cyprus issue, Prime Minister Plenkovic said that he strongly supports President Anastasiades' initiatives that can increase trust between the two communities, noting that "Croatia has always taken a principled stand on the Cyprus issue, supporting your efforts, advocating a peaceful solution and supporting all efforts to bring the parties closer to your proposals, which are in line with UN Security Council resolutions on respect for international law, sovereignty and territorial integrity. And this position will not change. It has always been consistent and clear."
(RM/NG/EXP)
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