CNA News

President expresses great satisfaction with Strategic Dialogue agreement with the US

President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, has expressed great satisfaction with the agreement for the institutionalization of a Strategic Dialogue between the Republic of Cyprus and the United States of America reached during the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos to the United States, noting that “as of today our country’s bilateral relationship with the US is significantly strengthened”.

In a written statement released by the Presidency of the Republic, President Christodoulides noted that “this is an agreement that upgrades and significantly strengthens the strategic relationship of the Republic of Cyprus with the United States, especially at an important juncture”.

In addition to strengthening political, economic and social ties, the agreement is expected to bring multiple and multi-layered benefits, he said.

At the same time, he noted, “it will upgrade the cooperation between Nicosia and Washington in vital areas for the Republic of Cyprus, such as Energy, research and technology, as well as security. In addition, the prospects for investments in our country, as well as for the strengthening of our trade relations with the US, are important for the Cypriot economy. These are decisive factors in our effort to strengthen and shield the Republic of Cyprus”, he underlined.

At the same time, President Christodoulides said, “we are working intensively with the US authorities for the inclusion of our country in the visa waiver programme that will allow Cypriot citizens to travel to the United States without the need to obtain, in advance, an entry permit. In this context, a bilateral cooperation agreement on the use of travel data has been signed”.

As of today, our country’s bilateral relationship with the US is significantly strengthened, President Christodoulides said.

He welcomed “once again with great satisfaction the signing of the agreement”, expressing the certainty “that in addition to the positive results for the two countries and our citizens, it will strengthen the international footprint of the Republic of Cyprus and the recognition it enjoys as a reliable and stable partner, as well as a pillar of security, cooperation and peace in the wider region of the Middle East”.

Cyprus and US confirmed on Monday the strategic aspect of their relationship and set the timetable for launching a Strategic Dialogue, that will be starting in September.

Announcements were made in Washington following a 45 minute meeting that Cyprus FM Constantinos Kombos had with State Secretary Antony Blinken at the State Department.