The signing of a twinning agreement with Manama, the capital and largest city of the Kingdom of Bahrain, is considered very important for the investment prospects of Larnaca.
Larnaca actually became the first city in Cyprus to twinning with a city in the Gulf, which paves the way for cooperation in various fields.
The cooperation between Larnaca and Manama will concern, among other things, the utilization of the coastal resources of the two cities and the upgrading of the level of services and facilities, joint programs for the exchange of know-how and modern technologies in waste management, environmental awareness and development of public parks, as well as the exchange of best practices on issues related to digital transformation.
The agreement was signed on November 3 in Manama by the Mayor of Larnaca, Andreas Vyras, with the Director General of the Ministry of Local Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain, Aleya Yahya.
The twinning took place in the presence of the Minister of Local Government of Bahrain, Eng. Wael bin Nasser Al-Mubarak and the governor of the capital Sheikh Khalid bin Humood bin Abdullah Al Khalifa.
This was preceded by a meeting between Mr. Vyras, with the "hat" and the president of the Union of Municipalities, with the Prime Minister and Crown Prince of the Kingdom, Salman bin Hamad al-Khalifa at the Riffa Palace, which was extensively covered by the country's media, which emphasized the new chapter opening in the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Bahrain.
"During the meeting, the prince referred to the progress achieved in deepening bilateral relations between Bahrain and Cyprus in various areas," the reports said.
It is noted that the agreement between the two cities followed actions by the Cypriot Government, which aimed to strengthen relations between the two countries.
"The visit was very important and we also had a meeting with the Prime Minister and heir to the throne, who is not easy to see. The heir to the throne told us how much he appreciates Cyprus and how much he will work to bring results to the cooperation. The ambassador of Cyprus in the region, Andreas Eliades, is also very active, who did a very good job and was with us in all the meetings," the mayor of Larnaca told "F", noting that there were contacts with several ministers of the Kingdom.
"We raised issues of cooperation, especially with the Association of Entrepreneurs, our respective Chamber of Commerce and Industry. A meeting will be arranged with groups of businessmen from the two countries for cooperation in specific areas such as tourism, imports, exports, food, etc.", he added.
He also noted that several issues were discussed with the Minister of Transport, such as the reduction of air ticket prices to and from Bahrain. In addition, it was agreed with the Minister of Culture of the Kingdom, according to Mr. Vyras, that a joint event will be held within the framework of the Larnaca 2030 European Capital of Culture Organization.
