Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis met today with the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cyprus and President of the Democratic Rally Anita Demetriou, at the Maximou Mansion.
The meeting focused on developments in the Eastern Mediterranean, relations between Greece and Cyprus, as well as the common challenges faced by the two countries at European and regional level. Particular emphasis was placed on cooperation between Athens and Nicosia, but also on the need to maintain stability and a common strategy towards international developments.
At the beginning of their meeting, the Prime Minister and the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Cyprus had the following dialogue:
Kyriakos Mitsotakis:I am delighted to welcome you once again to Athens, at an extremely turbulent time, but I believe also at a time when the ties between Greece and Cyprus have never been stronger.
I would like to attach great importance to the Greek initiative to stand by Cyprus at an extremely difficult time, when the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus was actively challenged, and to express my satisfaction that the Greek initiative was also the precursor of a broader European mobilisation, because in this way we have proved that we can also, as Europe alone, deal with issues of defending the sovereignty of the Member States in a more effective way than in the past.
So, I want to express again my pleasure to see you. To wish you good luck in the run-up to the elections, but above all to keep this excellent climate that exists, I would say, not only between the governments, between the institutions, between our peoples, because I believe that these very strong ties between Greece and Cyprus have become even stronger in recent months.
Anita Demetriou:That is true, Prime Minister, my friend. I would like to thank you on behalf of all the Cypriot people, because really Greece’s support, its response, especially in this ordeal, was of unparalleled importance and essential, if you like, significance, precisely for this common response matrix, for the pillars of stability that are our Greece and Cyprus, for what is happening in our region and within Europe.
I am happy to say that I see an upgraded Greece, with a leading role, and this is of course also due to you personally. I say it, I mean it and I will say it: it is very important precisely to keep this proud course. This is also the message I am conveying today.
This is the message I am conveying today.
And we want to keep this stability and responsibility, especially in view of the forthcoming elections, as the apple of our eye. We just want to continue with the same strategy. It’s a better relationship than it’s ever been, and we need to keep that and emphasize that, and together we need to figure out how to meet all these challenges. We know that there are a lot of unresolved issues, complex issues. So it’s not about toxicity or populism; it’s about responsibility, actions and results, and that’s the message we want to deliver today.
