Cyprus and Malta to work together in Ramallah

CYPRUS and Malta have agreed to open a joint diplomatic representation in Ramallah and to share the premises of the Cypriot embassy in Tel Aviv.

The agreement was reached during talks which Foreign Minister Markos Kyprianou held in Malta with his Maltese counterpart, Deputy Prime Minister Tonio Borg.

A statement issued yesterday said the goal of the two sides was for the agreement to be implemented by the end of 2008.

The two Ministers also discussed the issue of illegal immigration, one of the main problems the two countries are facing due to their geographical position.

Kyprianou referred to the large number of illegal immigrants who arrive in Cyprus though the north.

With regard to the ‘Barcelona Process: Union for the Mediterranean’ the two ministers agreed they could co-operate in sectors such as alternative energy sources, a Mediterranean Solar Power Programme and the management and maintenance of water resources, the identification of new water resources and desalination.

The Middle East peace process was also discussed by the two ministers, and Kyprianou briefed Borg about developments in the region following his recent visit to Lebanon.

Kyprianou was also received by the President of Malta Edward Fenech-Adami. They affirmed their will to develop further bilateral relations and to promote issues of common interest.

From Malta, Kyprianou flew to Brussels to attend the EU General Affairs and Foreign Relations Council.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.