The President of the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Charalambos Manolis, welcomed on behalf of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CYCC) the highly successful and first Cyprus-Japan Business Forum which took place on April 9, 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.
In introducing his greeting, Mr. Manolis informed that "Cyprus and Japan share a rich history of diplomatic relations, characterized by mutual respect, friendship and commitment to global cooperation" and that "there is a huge pool of opportunities that is expected to be exploited ». He then expressed the opinion that given the importance of Japan on the international economic scene, combined with the advantages that Cyprus offers in many economic sectors, the Forum will offer "the opportunity to identify new areas of common interest with mutual benefit for both Countries". Later he mentioned the various fields in which there can be cooperation between the two countries.
The Forum was jointly organized by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (MEIT) of Cyprus, KEBE and the Cyprus Trade Center in Japan. As the head of the business mission from Cyprus, the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. George Papanastasiou, was the main speaker of the Forum, presenting, among other things, the advantages of Cyprus as an international business center.
During the Forum, which was attended by more than 120 people (government officials, entrepreneurs, representatives of research centers and journalists), Cypriot companies participated in technology and shipping panels, highlighting their technological solutions in biotechnology, space and security in shipping, as well as the know-how, expertise in ship management and the uniqueness that Cyprus has to offer technologically developed solutions, penetrating the single market.
After the Forum, Cypriot companies participated in scheduled B2B meetings with Japanese companies, strengthening bilateral business relations.
The forum was held in the context of efforts to strengthen the extroversion of Cypriot service enterprises and for the further development of Cyprus' bilateral economic and business relations.