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The President of the Republic,
Mr Nikos Christodoulides, visited yesterday the USS Mount Whitney of the 6th
US fleet, at Larnaka port, escorted by the US Ambassador to Cyprus Mrs Julie
Fisher.
In statements to the media, the
President of the Republic, inter alia said: “My presence here as well as the
presence of the Americans indicate that our relations are at an all-time
high, and there is political will from both governments to further strengthen
our defense, security, political and economic relations.”
President Christodoulides noted
that on Tuesday he will visit Egypt and then Jordan to examine all the
details regarding the maritime corridor to send humanitarian aid to Gaza so
that the dispatch of humanitarian aid becomes feasible as soon as possible.
Our role is that of a country that stands as a pillar of stability and
security, and we hope that the situation we are witnessing will soon come to
an end, he added.
When asked about his brief
meeting with the Secretary-General of the United Nations on the sidelines of
the Dubai Climate Summit, the President of the Republic said: “I briefed the
Secretary-General on everything occurring in the buffer zone, in Agios Dometios,
and also generally on the approach of the occupying forces. At the same time,
the Secretary-General officially mentioned another name, another person he
intends to appoint (as his envoy for the Cyprus problem). He has informed all
interested parties and is awaiting responses. Our response will be given on
Monday.”
When asked about the discussion
between himself and the Turkish President in Dubai, the President of the
Republic said that they discussed the Cyprus problem in general, the need for
developments, for a resolution of the Cyprus problem, something that, as he
mentioned to the Turkish President, “will help strengthen Euro-Turkish
relations and in general to create those conditions in our region that will
be beneficial for all states.”
Regarding the progress in
discussions with Chevron, President Christodoulides said that from the very
beginning our intention was to have a positive outcome with the company and
that their presence in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) is a vote of confidence.
The President of the Republic also said: “We have a positive response, we
have some final details to look into, but we are on the right track to
proceed as planned. I welcome the fact that the same intention existed from
the beginning of the discussions with Chevron.”
On her part, the US Ambassador
to Cyprus stated that “we enjoy the incredible cooperation between the groups
of people of our countries, who work hard to bring about security and
stability, especially for the citizens of the region. This is very important
for us.”
(NG/ASP)
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