Press Releases

It is indeed with great pleasure that I extend once more a very warm welcome to the President of the Portuguese Republic, Mr. Marcelo Rebelo de Sousa, and his esteemed delegation.  

As I have already mentioned dear Marcelo, your visit marks a historic moment in the relationship between our two countries, as it is the first official one to take place by a Portuguese President to the Republic of Cyprus.

Mr. President, Dear Marcelo: The fact that over the decades, our two countries and peoples forged close bonds of friendship and cooperation, provides an added reason to receive you with great pleasure.

And I am pleased to assess that our talks earlier today not only confirmed the importance that we attach to our partnership, but also the joint will to promote our cooperation even further, in a number of new fields.

To this end, the signing of the Agreement on the Exchange and Mutual Protection of Classified Information, is a tangible result of this commitment.

Our two countries also share a history and civilizations which date back centuries. At the same time, we might be in geographical opposites in the Southern corner of Europe, but our shared values, our cultural roots and common mentality, as well as the natural affinity between our peoples, lead us to a convergence of views in tackling the challenges that both the EU and the international community are facing.

Mr. President, please allow me to praise your leading skills and your wise management of difficulties that might arise, which significantly contributed for Portugal to have a stable Government and to prosper.

And I wish, dear Marcelo, that your visit would have been longer. However, I would love to once more host you in Cyprus in my capacity as a citizen of the Republic, so as, without any diplomatic etiquettes, to share some private and pleasant moments as dictated by the strong bonds of friendship we have developed.

In concluding, I would like to once more express my pleasure for the visit of the President of Portugal to Cyprus, which has opened a new chapter in the relationship between our two countries.

With these thoughts, I would like to raise a toast to the well-being and happiness of President de Sousa, as well as to the continued progress and prosperity of the friendly people of Portugal.

(RM/EP/IK)