Press Releases

The Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, who accompanies the President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Anastasiades on an official visit to Bahrain, had a meeting this afternoon with his counterpart Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Alzayani in the capital Manama. During the meeting the two Ministers had an in depth discussion on issues related to bilateral relations between Cyprus and Bahrain, following on from the official talks, as well as in relation to the cooperation between the two countries at regional and international level, as well as on EU-Bahrain relations.

The Foreign Ministers noted with satisfaction the common will of the two sides, as this emerged from the contacts made at the highest level during the visit of President Anastasiades, to strengthen bilateral relations in a number of specific areas. They further noted that Cyprus and Bahrain, as small island States in an often troubled region, have a common interest in stepping up efforts to strengthen dialogue and regional cooperation, in a way that enhances peace, stability and security in the wider region taking advantage of, inter alia, the positive momentum created by the signing of the Abraham Accords providing for the normalization of relations between Arab countries, including Bahrain, and Israel.

During the meeting, the next steps were considered in the implementation of what was agreed during the visit, including through the exchange of visits, the holding of political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries and  cooperation at the level of Diplomatic Academies, while views were also exchanged with regard to the possibility of Bahrain joining the network of trilateral cooperation mechanisms that Cyprus and Greece have jointly established with a number of countries in the region.

The latest developments in the Cyprus problem and in the broader region of the Eastern Mediterranean were also discussed, with particular reference to the role that Bahrain can play in relevant discussions in the framework of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation.

Finally, in the context of discussions on EU-Bahrain relations and the positive role that Cyprus consistently plays within this context, Mr. Christodoulides expressed his intention to invite Mr. Alzayani to a working breakfast in Brussels in the near future, with the participation of EU Foreign Ministers.

In a special ceremony held earlier, Ministers Christodoulides and Alzayani signed an Agreement on the abolition of visas for holders of diplomatic, special and service passports between the two countries.

At the end of their meeting, the two Ministers delivered statements to media representatives.

For the full text of the Minister’s statement press here.

(SCH)