Τhe first Strategic Dialogue of Cyprus and the US commenced on Wednesday in Nicosia, with Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos highlighting in his opening remarks the emerging strategic partnership between the two countries in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, while stressing that there are tremendous opportunities to take this bilateral relation to the next level.
In his statements at the Presidential Palace with the US Assistant Minister of Foreign Affairs, responsible for European and Euro-Asian issues, James O’Brien, the Cypriot Foreign Minister said that this is a very important moment in the bilateral relation and a joint accomplishment of the cooperation, interaction and coordinated action on the basis of a mutually beneficial agenda.
On his part, James O’Brien spoke of an “historic occasion” and said that the commitment of both their teams to make this possible would measure their success by whether their people feel safer and more prosperous, and whether the societies can promote their values.
Kombos said that “this day marks a joint commitment towards a closer and stronger cooperation between our two countries, fostering a more secure, stable and prosperous region.”
Ηe added that the deepening of the bilateral relations has been a top priority since the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, assumed office.
Kombos said that the consultations on Wednesday would include a range of areas, security, defense, crisis management, law enforcement, energy, education, cultural trade and invest.
“We believe that there are tremendous opportunities to take our bilateral relation to the next level and it’s up to us to turn these opportunities into concrete achievements and there are very many reasons why we should be pursuing this,” he noted.
He spoke of the joint commitment, shared values in relation to democracy, the rule of law and human rights, in times during which the international order is being challenged, i.e in Ukraine, “where aggression and revisionism are resurfacing as an option, the unwavering commitment to the core values underpinning the international community are of paramount importance in this context”.
He also underlined the continued commitment of the US to a principled position on sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
Kombos went on to say that in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, the partnership is based on their commitment to peace, security, stability and cooperation in the region where things are volatile and complex.
“And in this context, Cyprus is a point of reference in terms of stability”, he noted referring to the Cyprus Maritime Corridor initiative, the ESTIA evacuation plan as well as to the numerous initiatives of trilateral cooperation in the Mediterranean and the region in general.
