President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, referred to the vast prospects for strengthening bilateral relations between Cyprus and Poland, during Thursday's dinner in Warsaw, hosted by President Andrzej Duda. President Christodoulides, who is in Poland for an official visit, attended the official dinner along with the First Lady, Philippa Karsera Christodoulides. The dinner was hosted in his honour by the Polish President and his wife. According to a Presidency press release while welcoming President Christodoulides, President Duda said, speaking through an interpreter, that the first visit of a Cypriot leader occurred in 1364 by the then King of Cyprus, Peter I, to the city of Krakow, which President Christodoulides will visit on Friday. He referred to the 20-year joint course of the two countries in the EU, as well as the diplomatic relations they have maintained since 1960, highlighting that Poland was among the first countries to recognise the Republic of Cyprus. President Duda thank ed the President for Cyprus' stance regarding Russia's attack on Ukraine, noting that "I was particularly impressed by the wisdom with which the President strives for the good of his nation and sets an example for others." He also referred to the current Polish archaeological mission that has been in Cyprus for decades, thanking the President of the Republic for the assistance Poland received from the Cypriot authorities in establishing a Polish archaeological center in Paphos, which will be inaugurated in the coming months. He added that Poland ranks third in terms of tourist visits to Cyprus, emphasizing that the number of arrivals from Poland to Cyprus is expected to increase this year. The Polish President also expressed the conviction that the visit of the presidential couple of Cyprus will further strengthen relations between the two countries. On his part, President Christodoulides said, among other things, that "Poland and Cyprus are not geographically adjacent, but it is incredible how many are t he similarities of the two countries." He said that geography was what determined and still determines the historical development of the two countries. The Polish people managed to gain their independence, to drive out the occupying power. In Cyprus, he said, "we continue this struggle to end the occupation and reunite our homeland", he added, referring to the 1974 Turkish invasion and occupation of the island's northern third. President Christodoulides publicly thanked Poland and its people for their longstanding support for an end to the occupation and the reunification of Cyprus. These battles we fight every day, all that we have gone through, leave us no choice but to always be on the right side of history, President Christodoulides said. He reiterated that the Republic of Cyprus condemns the illegal Russian invasion and occupation of Ukraine. "My country, the Cypriot people, know very well what invasion means, what occupation means, what human rights violation means and we could not have had a differ ent stance," he said. He also noted that the two countries 20 years after their accession to the EU, "not only have we benefited from the EU, but we have also contributed to the evolution of the EU" and together with Denmark, "we form the trio of the EU Presidency, in 2025 and the first half of 2026." He expressed the conviction that "as we did in 2011 and 2012, this time we will respond even better to the challenges of the Presidency of the Council of the EU." In his discussions with President Duda, he said, "we were very pleased to see the huge prospects for strengthening our bilateral relations." He referred to the thousands of Polish visitors to Cyprus, noting that there are "more than 35 flights every week, there is demand for visits to Cyprus and we will encourage more flights on both sides and the big challenge is for Poland to become the 2nd country in a row with more tourist traffic to Cyprus." Beyond tourism, he said, "there are vast prospects in the fields of trade and investment", expressing satisfaction with the increase in exports from Cyprus to Poland, with halloumi being particularly high in sales in Poland. "Today, I want to reiterate, in the most official manner, that as the Republic of Cyprus, we have the political will to strengthen our relations at all levels. We have excellent relations, but at the same time, there are tremendous opportunities to do more. And rest assured that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus will do everything possible", President Christodoulides added. He also said he will visit Krakaw, the birthplace of President Duda, since he visited Pafos district, where President Christodoulides comes from, during his visit to Cyprus. Referring to the Polish archaeological mission in Cyprus, he pledged that the government will do everything possible to assist the mission. He also assured that the two peoples "precisely because of their strong history, together we will continue to successfully face the challenges." Source: Cyprus News Agency
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