Saudi pledges support for Cyprus’ sovereign rights

Saudi Arabia fully supports Cyprus’ sovereign rights and believes that regional disputes can only be resolved through dialogue, the kingdom’s foreign minister said Thursday.

Faisal Bin Farhan Al Saud held talks in Nicosia with his Cypriot counterpart Nicos Christodoulides.

Speaking to the media later, he said his country calls on all nations to adhere to UN Security Council resolutions regarding the resolution of disputes.

For his part, Christodoulides said he briefed the Saudi diplomat on recent developments in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone and on Turkey’s aggressive maritime posture.

“The solidarity and support of countries such as Saudi Arabia, with a clear understanding of the situation in the eastern Mediterranean, is imperative to us,” noted Christodoulides.

The two sides also discussed bilateral relations, agreeing to soon activate a memorandum of understanding for political discussions with a specific road map.

The Cyprus News Agency reported that the two sides have decided to promote the signing of a series of bilateral agreements and to hold two business forums by the end of the year.

The mulled agreements concern energy cooperation; financial and technical cooperation; the reception, provision of aid to, and departure of Saudi evacuees; cooperation on public safety matters; judicial cooperation; commercial shipping; sharing classified intelligence; mutual recognition of university degrees; and an agreement pertaining to illegal excavations and the smuggling of ancient artefacts.

It was also decided to introduce, before year’s end, direct flights between the two countries – to be carried out by Cyprus Airways and a Saudi airline.

Prior to coming to Cyprus, the Saudi foreign minister had visited Egypt, Algeria, Morocco and France; he is due to visit Italy next.

 

 

 

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.