Press Releases

Excellencies,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today is indeed a very special day and I am truly honoured to be amongst you. It is a special day not only due to the fact that it is with pride that I will visit the Cyprus Pavilion at the magnificent premises of the Expo 2020, but, most importantly, our participation in this extraordinary Expo is another testimony of the strength and resilience of the ever growing partnership between our two countries.

This first Expo of the Middle East and Gulf region stands as an incredible bridging ground of cultures and ideas, promoting collective global action in the face of many challenges we must tackle and the need to invest in building new synergies, in areas such as health emergency response, smart agriculture, food security, cyber security, maritime safety, climate change and alternative sources of energy.

It is also a reminder of the Emirates’ internationally acclaimed standing as a prime business hub, as well as of its contribution to effective multilateralism, also evident by its current membership in the UN Security Council.

Without a doubt, the image of our region is changing fast as shown by the central role of the Emirates in the historic Abraham Accords. And Cyprus, as credible contributor to the stability index of the region, cannot but be part of this vastly positive regional transformation.

In our quest for a secure and prosperous future, particularly in our volatile region, Cyprus is fostering strategic alliances with partners based on common values and collective vision, and most importantly on shared interests, such as the United Arab Emirates.

It is my sincere conviction that these excellent relations will continue to prosper and become even more robust in the years to come, for the benefit of our peoples as well as for peace and stability in our region.

Particularly today, our close friendship and partnership is entering an even more dynamic phase and our ties in a plethora of areas are deepening and expanding rapidly.

This is evident by the fact that I am accompanied by nine of my Government’s Ministers, as well as the Government Agency for the attraction of investments, who already held productive bilateral meetings with their counterparts, whilst the signing of a number of bilateral agreements, with the most important one being the one on Strategic Partnership, is a striking example of our commitment to enhance our vibrant relations at a bilateral, trilateral and multilateral level.

Moreover, a dynamic and sizeable delegation of business people from both Cyprus and the United Arab Emirates is participating in today’s business forum, with the aim to explore business opportunities and cooperation prospects in a plethora of fields, such as renewable energy, tourism, trade, agriculture, shipping and research and development.

I invite all of you to the Cyprus Pavilion “Cyprus, at the centre of where you want to be,” which encapsulates one of the most prominent characteristics and strengths of our country: our strategic location at the crossroads of Europe, the Middle East and Asia, highlighting our potential to explore mutually beneficial synergies in areas such as education, arts, culture, gastronomy and tourism, business and investment.

In concluding, I would like to once more thank the hosts for their impeccable organisation of Expo 2020 which has already proven to be a highly successful event.

Thank you.

(RM/EK/SCH)