Cypriot President Anastasiades Visits Bahrain to Sign Series of Agreements

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades is holding a series of meetings in Bahrain, as part of his official visit to the Gulf country. According to an official press release, Anastasiades and the King of Bahrain, Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, held in-depth talks at the Palace in Manama. The talks were followed by a decoration ceremony and the signing of numerous bilateral agreements. Anastasiades’ official visit to Bahrain is part of the Republic of Cyprus’ policy on enhancing relations with the Gulf countries, government spokesman Nicos Christodoulides said earlier today.

According to an official press release, Cypriot Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides signed a bilateral agreement with his Bahraini counterpart on the Avoidance of Double Taxation, an agreement with the Justice Minister on fighting terrorism and other forms of organized crime, an agreement and a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with the Transportations and Telecommunications Minister on air services and an MoU with the Health Minister for cooperation in the health field.

Earlier, Anastasiades and King bin Isa Al Khalifa discussed issues relating to the Cyprus problem, bilateral relations, ties between the European Union and Bahrain, regional and international matters. Present at the talks, were Foreign Minister Kasoulides, government spokesman Christodoulides, the Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to Bahrain Elpidoforos Economou and a number of other officials. Tonight, Anastasiades will host a reception in honor of the Cypriot community of Bahrain and will attend a dinner hosted by the Honorary Consul of Cyprus in Bahrain Stefanos Zachariades. It should be noted that the Cypriot President decorated the Bahraini King with the Grand Collar of the National Order of Makarios the Third and in return the King of Bahrain decorated the Cypriot President with The Order of Al Khalıfa.

According to Christodoulides, the visit’s aim is to prevent Turkish efforts to upgrade the illegal entity in the occupied areas of Cyprus in the framework of the Organization of the Islamic Conference and to enhance relations with Gulf countries with an emphasis on the economic sector. President Anastasiades has already visited the United Arab Emirates, Qatar and Kuwait, while he has also recently paid Saudi Arabia a visit, while his next stop is scheduled to be in Oman. “Enhancing relations with these states constitutes a very conscious choice of the Republic of Cyprus,” Christodoulides explained, adding that “we see specific results coming out of all the contacts the President of the Republic has made and we are satisfied because this policy, which started in the past by previous governments, is bringing results.”