The British Prime Minister, Keir Starmer, will be at the Presidential Palace this morning, where he will have a meeting at 8:40 with the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulidis. Extended talks by delegations of the Governments of the two countries will follow. The Cyprus issue, bilateral relations and regional developments will have a central place on the agenda of the talks.
Starmer's one-day visit to Cyprus is part of his tour of the region. In an announcement by the Presidency on the visit, it is stated that it "constitutes a milestone in the close bilateral relations of the two countries, since it is the first bilateral visit by a British Prime Minister to Cyprus since 1971 when the then Prime Minister Edward Heath visited our country, while the John Major's visit in 1993 was part of the Commonwealth meeting."
It is also noted that the meeting takes place less than two months after the meeting between Presidents Christodoulidis and Starmer in London.
Among the topics expected to occupy the talks are bilateral relations with an emphasis on those falling under the Strategic Dialogue between the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom including cooperation issues in the fields of defense and security, education, culture, economy, trade, investment and of energy, it is noted.
During the meeting, it is expected that the Cyprus issue and efforts to restart the negotiations will also be discussed, while, among other things, issues related to Migration, the situation in Ukraine as well as EU-UK relations will be discussed.
Emphasis is also expected to be given to regional developments and to the role played by the Republic of Cyprus over time in the provision of humanitarian aid, but also recently both through the "Amalthia" initiative and in issues of removing citizens from war zones.
Source: KYPE
