“The Cyprus issue is a constant concern and a top national priority of Greek foreign policy”, emphasized the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou welcoming the President of the Republic of Cyprus to the Presidential Palace, Nikos Christodoulidisin his first official visit to Athens after assuming his new duties in the highest state office.

Mrs. Sakellaropoulou congratulated Mr. Christodoulidis and wished him every success in his demanding work, underlining at the same time that his visit to Athens is overshadowed by the tragic losses of the train accident, which cost the lives of so many young people, including two Cypriot students, she expressed her sincere condolences.

Addressing Mr. Christodoulidis, she emphasized that his many years of experience as Minister of Foreign Affairs, as well as as a prominent Cypriot diplomat, will be valuable resources in continuing the effort to resolve the international issue of invasion and occupation, which is the Cyprus issue.

“I would like to emphasize once again that the Cyprus issue is a constant concern and top national priority of Greek foreign policy. A guarantee of effectiveness for this matter and its resolution is the close cooperation and coordination of Greece with the Republic of Cyprus, both bilaterally and at the multilateral regional level, which has already made our countries a guarantee and a source of security and stability in Eastern Mediterranean”, noted Ms. Sakellaropoulou.

Concluding, he pointed out that “the common goal of our countries, always remains, is to reach an agreed solution based on the decisions of the United Nations Security Council. A solution that will ensure the liberation of Cyprus from the anachronistic system of guarantees and the right to intervene in Cypriot affairs, as well as the withdrawal of the occupation troops and of course the application of the European Union’s acquis communautaire throughout Cyprus”.

For his part, the President of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidisafter thanking Mrs. Sakellaropoulou for the warm welcome and wishes, conveyed on behalf of the Cypriot people the deepest condolences for the tragic incident in Tempi.

As he pointed out “Greece and Cyprus, Cyprus and Greece are mourning and it is the responsibility of all of us, who are in positions of power, and the best memorial for all those who lost their lives unjustly, is through our actions, to do what is possible so that such incidents do not happen again”.

Referring to his visit to Athens, the first as the President of the Republic of Cyprus, he spoke of “a visit of symbolic importance, which demonstrates the fraternal ties between the two countries, but also of essential importance considering the challenges we have to face , the need to further strengthen our excellent bilateral relations, but also the fact that Greece and Cyprus, as members of the great European family, owe through our actions, through our foreign policy, through our actions within the of our countries, to prove in practice that we are a pillar of stability and security”.

Addressing the President of the Republic, he noted that “I am very happy and would like to take this opportunity to thank you for the fact that you approach the Cyprus issue as a leading national issue, as a leading – I would say – European issue. The current state of affairs in Cyprus cannot be the future of Cyprus. Nicosia cannot continue to be the last divided capital of Europe.”

As he said, “we know very well the difficulties, the problems, the challenges, but this does not mean in any case that we will remain with our hands crossed” and added: “We will do everything humanly possible to break the deadlock, to achieve the goal of the liberation and reunification of Cyprus on the basis of the agreed framework always. And it is within this context that we believe that the European Union can play a decisive role”.

He also noted that “the Republic of Cyprus is a member state of the European Union and will continue to be so even after a possible solution to the Cyprus issue. The European Union has all those incentives to lead to a mutually acceptable state of affairs.”

Subsequently, he pointed out that “as the recent earthquakes in Turkey and Syria prove, we cannot change the geography and we owe all the states of the region, through a positive approach, always with respect to International Law and the principles and values ​​of the European Union, to find ways so that we can solve the problems, solve our differences and come together to achieve everything we can achieve and take advantage of the opportunities that exist in our region”.

In closing, he underlined: “I am here precisely to coordinate with the Greek government, how we can best either at a bilateral level or at a regional level or within the European Union to achieve all these goals”.

After the private meeting, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, awarded the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulidis, the Order of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Saviour, and extended talks between the two delegations followed, while an official lunch in his honor is scheduled for 1:30 p.m. of the President of the Republic of Cyprus at the Presidential Palace.