The Arabian Gulf region is an immediate priority for our foreign policy, Spokesperson of the Cyprus Foreign Affairs, Theodoros Gotsis, has told the Cyprus News Agency, ahead of the visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Constantinos Kombos, to the United Arab Emirates and Saudi Arabia next week.
This is the first visit of the Minister of Foreign Affairs to the Arabian Gulf, which is a region of immediate priority for our foreign policy, Gotsis noted.
He also mentioned that the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Saudi Arabia during the last five years have been developing at the highest level of political dialogue, giving new impetus and perspective for further deepening and expanding the cooperation of the two countries, in areas of mutual interest.
Gotsis recalled that last March the Minister of Investments of Saudi Arabia paid a visit to Cyprus, during which a Cooperation Program Framework in the field of Investments was signed.
The Saudi Minister of Investments was the first foreign official with whom the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, met after assuming his duties. Crown Prince's wish to pay Cyprus an official visit was also conveyed.
Gotsis furthermore said that MFA's visit to the Arabian Gulf comes a few weeks after the visit of the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan to Cyprus, to congratulate the President of the Republic, after assuming his duties.
He also recalled that during the visit last year of the former President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, to the United Arab Emirates, to participate in the Dubai Expo, the Joint Declaration on the Establishment of Integrated Strategic Cooperation was signed, which includes seven areas of the expanding bilateral relationship, among them energy.
Kombos' visit takes place at a time when Saudi Arabia is at the center of important changes in the region, upgrading its status and geopolitical and economic role after the restoration of its diplomatic relations with Iran, which led to a series of opportunities for de-escalation of regional tensions, particularly in Yemen, Syria and Iraq.
Kombos will discuss bilateral relations, the Cyprus issue, as well as regional and international developments during his visits.
The Minister will first travel to Abu Dhabi, where on Monday, June 5, he will have a tete-a-tete meeting and extended consultations with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Abdullah Bin Zayed Al Nahyan.
The Foreign Minister will then travel to Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, where on Tuesday 6 June he will meet with his Saudi counterpart, Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud, and expanded consultations will follow.
Kombos will then travel to Riyadh, where on Thursday, June 8, he will participate in the works of the Ministerial Meeting of the International Coalition against Daesh/ISIS, co-organized by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia and the Secretary of State of the United States.
The main objective is coordinating international efforts to combat terrorism.
On the sidelines of the meeting of the International Coalition against Daesh/ISIS, Kombos is expected to have contacts with his counterparts, during which he will have the opportunity to exchange views in relation to the prospects for cooperation in the wider Gulf region.
Source: Cyprus News Agency