Cyprus and Serbia strengthen ties

CYPRUS and Serbia yesterday expressed their will for enhanced cooperation, as the two countries held their first intergovernmental meeting in Belgrade.

According to a joint communiquι issued after the meeting, Serbia and Cyprus pledged to further economic and trade cooperation and reconfirmed their mutual support on a political level.

The two countries discussed ways to improve their cooperation in the areas of tourism, renewable energy sources, particularly solar energy, transport, cultural exchanges, justice and public order, education and health, the communiquι said.

Serbia “reconfirms its full support to the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and expresses its support for a solution to the Cyprus issue based on international law, the UN Charter, relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the High Level Agreements of ’77 and ’79 and EU principles.”

Serbia also expressed hope for a just and viable solution that will promote the peaceful coexistence of the two communities in Cyprus in conditions of total security.

On its part Cyprus reconfirmed “its full respect of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Serbia”. It also “supports the continued dialogue between Belgrade and Priština for a comprehensive and mutually acceptable solution on Kosovo”.

On the sidelines of the president’s visit, the two countries signed bilateral agreements in various sectors.

Christofias was decorated with the Supreme Order of the Republic of Serbia by the Serbian President Tomislav Nikolic during a special ceremony held at the Presidential Palace in Belgrade.

Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou – Marcoullis, Defence Minister Demetris Eliades, Justice Minister Loucas Louca and Communications Minister Efthymios Flourentzos also took part in the meeting.

The second intergovernmental meeting will take place in Cyprus during the first four months of 2014.

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.