Press Releases

The Presidents of the Republic of Cyprus and the President of the Republic of Poland expressed their mutual will to further enhance the already strong relations between the two countries, following the talks held in Warsaw, in the framework of the official visit of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Christodoulides to Poland, following an invitation from his counterpart, Mr Andrzej Duda.

In his statements to the media following the talks, President Christodoulides stated:

“It is a great pleasure and honour for me to be in Poland today, on this historic, first official bilateral visit of a President of the Republic of Cyprus. The talks we held not only confirm our excellent political relations, which have been strengthened especially after our accession to the European Union (EU) in 2004, but also aim at further strengthening our cooperation on many sectors, especially on tourism, trade and investment, which in recent years have demostrated enviable potential.

President Christodoulides also referred to the impressive increase in tourist flows between Poland and Cyprus, noting that “Poland currently is the third country in terms of tourist arrivals in Cyprus”.

Regarding trade, the President expressed his satisfaction for the significant increase in the commercial transactions between the two countries, reiterating his conviction that “there are still many prospects for increasing and expanding the commercial transactions and mutual investments between our countries, and we will work explicitely and substantially in this direction”.

Referring to the common historical experiences uniting Cyprus and Poland, he underlined that the yearn for freedom and independence led the people of the two countries to fight for the liberation from occupying forces and foreign penetrations. “The people of Poland succeeded and now enjoy freedom and democracy in their country. We, in Cyprus, continue our struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland and its people”, he added.  He thanked Poland for its long-standing support to Cyprus, and particularly to the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem.

The President of the Republic of Cyprus also referred to the completion of 20 years since the accession of Cyprus and Poland to the EU, which, he said, inter alia, “has contributed decisively to the strengthening of our bilateral relations.”  He added: "The culmination of this enhanced cooperation was the joint exercise, together with Denmark, of the trio of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union in 2011-2012. This experience brought us even closer and, despite being the first time that our countries were called upon to take on this most important responsibility, they carried it out successfully.

We once again have before us the assumption of the Presidency trios in 2025 and the first half of 2026. Since we have been EU Member States for 20 years, the expectations will be particularly high, as will our handling of the many international challenges, especially at the geopolitical level. We have already started cooperating and coordinating and I am absolutely certain that we will be even more capable to respond to this common challenge.”

Speaking about the challenges Cyprus faces at the geopolitical level, President Christodoulides indicated that Russia's invasion and ongoing aggressive policy against Ukraine undoubtedly impacts security concerns in the wider region.

President Christodoulides added: "Cyprus, a victim itself of an illegal invasion and of continued occupation half a century now, has from the onset remained on the right side of History. The invasion, the occupation, the violation of international law, wherever it comes from, is reprehensible and must come to an end. Just as the war in Gaza must come to an end, which is not only creating instability in the wider region, a region adjacent to the EU, but is also causing an unprecedented humanitarian crisis. My country, Cyprus, being the EU Member State closest to the region and maintaining excellent relations with all its neighbouring states, has proceeded with the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza. Our aim through this initiative is to contribute, together with our partners, by providing an uninterrupted humanitarian assistance to all those in immediate need."

The President of the Republic also expressed, on behalf of the Government and the people of Cyprus, his sincere condolences to the families of Damian Soból, a member of the NGO World Central Kitchen, who together with six other people lost their lives on April 1^st while carrying out their duty of delivering humanitarian aid to the civilian population of Gaza.

For his part, the President of the Republic of Poland stated, inter alia, that "this is the first visit of the Head of the Republic of Cyprus to Poland, this is a historic moment". He added that he and President Christodoulides held talks on many issues of common interest, noting that they emphasised that Cyprus is a very interesting destination for the people of Poland, as it is a country with a great history and that is why important Polish excavations are taking place.

President Duda also thanked the President and the Government of Cyprus for their support in connection with Russia's invasion of the Ukraine.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, President Duda assured of his country's stance on the Cyprus problem that it should be resolved on the basis of United Nations (UN) Resolutions.

He added that they also discussed issues on the European agenda, including the upcoming EU elections.

(MS/AP)