With the prime minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at Maximos Palace met the president of the Republic of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulidisright after the four-four he had with Joe Biden at the White House.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis welcomed him saying:

“Welcome my dear Niko, so I arrived from the USA and first of all let me congratulate you on the very important moment for you for the president of the Republic of Cyprus after many years, 28 if I am not mistaken, to be received at the White House by the president of the USA, which confirms the strategic dimension of the relationship that Cyprus now has with the USA in continuation of the strategic relationship that Greece also has.

And in the context of this tremendous cooperation, I believe that the voice of the USA which recognizes that the time has come for a fair and sustainable solution of the Cyprus problem in the context of the decisions of the UN Security Council is also an important moment that is coming to be added to the dynamics that have been taking shape in recent months”.

Kyriakos Mitsotakis

For his part, Mr. Christodoulidis, who informed the prime minister about the results of his meeting with Joe Biden, said that the most important thing is the recognition by the United States of the role that both Cyprus and Greece play in the region, and expressed his joy that – as he said – this strategy brings results, is recognized.

“There is no room for vacillation in foreign policy. We are on the right side of history, and this certainly helps and strengthens our efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue at a critical juncture,” said Mr. Christodoulidis.

Nikos Christodoulidis

“It is always my pleasure to be in Greece and to meet and discuss. From the first moment, we are moving with a common strategy, common goals, common pursuits, as Athens-Nicosia relations should always have been. I’m glad that all this time we’ve been implementing a strategy that brings results,” he stressed.

In detail, the dialogue that the two leaders had at the beginning of the meeting:

Kyriakos Mitsotakis: Welcome, first of all, my dear Niko, as I understand you have arrived from the United States.

First of all, let me congratulate you. It is, I think, a very important moment for you, for the President of the Republic of Cyprus, after many years -28, if I’m not mistaken-, after 28 years to be received in the White House by the President of the United States, something which , I believe, confirms the strategic dimension of the relationship that Cyprus has now acquired with the United States, in continuation of the strategic relationship that Greece also has.

And, in the context of this tripartite cooperation, I believe that the voice of the United States, which recognizes that the time has come for a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue within the framework of the decisions of the United Nations Security Council, is also an important moment that comes to add to the momentum that has been building in recent months.

So I very much look forward to you updating me on the discussions you had with the President of the United States.

Nikos Christodoulidis: My friend Kyriakos, indeed a historic meeting after 28 years. The most important thing is the recognition by the United States of the role that both Cyprus and Greece play in the region, an area of ​​particular geostrategic importance. We prove it with actions, with works and not with words. And I am especially glad that this strategy brings results, it is recognized.

There is no room for vacillation in foreign policy. We are on the right side of history, and this certainly helps and strengthens our efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue at a critical juncture.

We will discuss, I will also inform you in detail about everything that was discussed with the Secretary General.

It is always a pleasure to be in Greece, it is always a pleasure to meet and talk. From the first moment we have been moving with a common strategy, common goals, common pursuits, as Athens-Nicosia relations should always have been.

And I am really glad, I want to repeat it once more, that all this time we are implementing a strategy that brings results.