Manama, January 25 (BNA): His Excellency was presented to His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa. On the occasion of HE’s official visit to the Kingdom, Nikos Christodoulides, President of the Republic of Cyprus, was present at Al Gudaibiya Palace with His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the Crown Prince and Prime Minister.
His Majesty King receives President of the Republic of Cyprus
The national anthems of Cyprus and the Kingdom of Bahrain were played during the official reception ceremony that followed HE the President’s arrival, and 21 artillery salutes were fired in honor of the esteemed visitor. His Majesty the King received the members of HE the Cypriot President’s official mission and greeted Their Highnesses, Excellencies, and senior Bahraini officials.
In addition to discussing opportunities to strengthen cooperation across important sectors, such as the economy, investment, trade, culture, and tourism, HM the King and HE the President also discussed regional and global developments of mutual interest during the formal discussions.
The president of Cyprus acknowledged His Majesty the King’s contribution to improving ties between the two nations and expressed gratitude for the cordial welcome and hospitality shown to him and his party. In the official visitors’ book, he also left a note emphasizing the importance of his presence.
Senior officials from both sides as well as HRH the Crown Prince and Prime Minister attended the enlarged session that ensued.
The following address was then given by His Majesty the King:
In the name of the Most Merciful and Gracious God,
Regards, Mr. President,
May you experience God’s mercy, peace, and benefits.
It is a great pleasure to welcome Your Excellency and your accompanying delegation to the Kingdom of Bahrain as honored guests and dear friends. We are delighted by this gracious visit, which demonstrates the strength of the long-standing and distinguished relations between our two friendly countries and peoples over the past 44 years.
These strong bonds are based on respect and understanding for one another, common values, and productive collaboration. We applaud the advancements made in a number of areas that have benefited and prospered our two friendly nations and peoples.
The opening of the Cyprus Embassy, the Bahrain–Cyprus Business Forum between the chambers of commerce, and the announcement of nine agreements and memoranda of understanding in the areas of education, culture, tourism, and information technology are all anticipated events of Your Excellency’s visit.
In addition to strengthening the private sector’s role in investment, innovation, and entrepreneurship and boosting trade volume, we reaffirm our commitment to expanding our positive relations and creating new opportunities for bilateral cooperation in the economic, commercial, developmental, and social domains.
Additionally, we would like to congratulate Your Excellency on assuming the Presidency of the Council of the European Union for the present term. We anticipate productive collaboration between the Gulf Cooperation Council and the European Union as well as the advancement of our strategic alliance, especially in the pursuit of a free trade deal that advances our common goals.
While we applaud the Republic of Cyprus’s development and progress, we also appreciate its crucial role in Europe and the Mediterranean, its support of just Arab issues, particularly the Palestinian cause, and its efforts to make it easier for humanitarian aid to reach the Gaza Strip’s residents.
Finally, we would like to once again express a hearty welcome to Your Excellency and your accompanying party. We hope you a pleasant stay and anticipate that this visit will serve as a basis for future fruitful cooperation in the best interests of our two fraternal nations and peoples.
May you experience God’s mercy, peace, and benefits.
Additionally, the President gave a speech in which he stated:
Regards, Your Majesty
Visiting the Kingdom of Bahrain is an immense honor and a wonderful privilege. I would like to express my sincere gratitude for the kind hospitality and warm welcome that I and my delegation received.
My visit is significant and symbolic. Above all, it is a reflection of our common resolve to improve Bahrain-Cyprus relations on all fronts—political, strategic, and economic.
I’m happy to report that in recent years, our bilateral cooperation has grown significantly and now covers important areas including youth, higher education, defense and security, trade and investment, culture, maritime affairs, and tourism.
I am very happy that our visit takes place during the first month of Cyprus’ EU Council presidency. We value our partnership with Bahrain, as evidenced by the fact that this is my first bilateral visit in this role.
This visit’s timing is crucial because Bahrain now serves as the Gulf Cooperation Council’s president, offering considerable chances for improved coordination and collaboration on a regional and global scale.
We affirmed the breadth, potential, and prospects of our partnership during our first meeting, Your Majesty. I’m excited to continue this conversation at today’s extended meeting.
Your Majesty, I am sure that today’s talks will strengthen our collaboration for the benefit of our peoples and regions, deepen our strategic relationship, and turn our common vision into real results.
Thank you so much once more.
The following agreements and memoranda of understanding were signed in front of His Majesty and HE the President of Cyprus:
1. Dr. Mohammed bin Mubarak Juma, Minister of Education for Bahrain, and Dr. Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs for Cyprus, signed an agreement between the governments of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Republic of Cyprus regarding mutual academic recognition of higher education qualifications.
2. A Memorandum of Understanding between the Mohamed bin Mubarak Al Khalifa Academy for Diplomacy and the Cyprus Diplomatic Academy, signed by the foreign affairs ministers of Bahrain (Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani) and Cyprus.
3. The Bahraini and Cypriot foreign ministers signed a Memorandum of Understanding on cooperation in culture, antiquities, and handicrafts between the Bahrain Authority for Culture and Antiquities and the Deputy Ministry of Culture of the Republic of Cyprus.
4. Lieutenant General Abdullah bin Hassan Al Nuaimi, Minister of Defence Affairs, and the Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding for military cooperation between the Bahrain Defence Force and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus.
5. Dr. Shaikh Abdulla bin Ahmed Al Khalifa, Minister of Transportation and Telecommunications, and the Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs signed a Memorandum of Understanding in search and rescue between the Ministry of Transportation and Telecommunications and the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Larnaca, Cyprus.
6. A Memorandum of Understanding in the area of tourism between the Government of the Kingdom of Bahrain and the Government of Cyprus, signed by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cyprus and the Minister of Tourism of Bahrain, Fatima bint Jaffar Al Sairafi.
7. The two foreign ministers inked a data sovereignty initiative to foster collaboration in communications and technology.
8. Michael Damianos, Minister of Energy, Commerce, and Industry of Cyprus, and Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, signed a document designating the Republic of Cyprus as an official partner for Bahraini air and sea freight services.
The signing of these agreements and memoranda, which will strengthen and develop bilateral cooperation and collaborative effort between the two countries, was praised by His Majesty the President.
The Cypriot President and the accompanying delegation were honored with a luncheon hosted by His Majesty the King.
Abdulla bin Adel Fakhro, Minister of Industry and Commerce, led the Mission of Honour that accompanied HE the President of Cyprus.
