NICOSIA – Speaking on September 17 at an event organized by the Chinese Embassy in Nicosia to mark China’s National Day, “President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides expressed his sincere appreciation for China’s long-standing and principled support on the Cyprus problem,” the Cyprus Times reported. The President pointed out that “China’s commitment to the sovereignty, territorial integrity, and independence of the Republic of Cyprus has been unwavering and so is its clear and invaluable support at the UN Security Council.”

The article noted that Christodoulides “stressed that reunifying Cyprus and its people, while ensuring that Cyprus remains a force of stability and prosperity in this very turbulent region, has continued to be his biggest priority since day one of his election.”

He said, “I am convinced that ending the division and reunifying the island will be beneficial not only for the security and progress of Cyprus, but also for the broader region.”

In his remarks the President “underlined the Republic of Cyprus’ consistent and steadfast support to the One China Policy, adding that at the multilateral level, both countries continue to enhance their cooperation in the framework of the United Nations and other international organizations,” according to the Cyprus Times.

He added that, “this is a natural development stemming from our mutual belief of the importance of multilateralism: the best tool for advancing fruitful synergies and confronting crises. It also derives from our unfaltering dedication to the key guiding principles of sovereignty, territorial integrity and independence of all states.”

Christodoulides also conveyed, the article continued, “that as an EU member state, Cyprus is a strong proponent of the advancement of EU-China relations, pointing out that even when different approaches arise, EU and China constitute important partners, seeking to pursue stable and mutually beneficial relations, particularly through the EU-China high-level political dialogue.

“I truly believe that by working together, China and  EU will be better positioned to tackle various regional and global challenges”, he said.

The President noted that progress in bilateral cooperation between Cyprus and China included frequent exchanges of high-level visits, constructive and results-oriented cooperation across the board and advancing trade and economic ties.

“All of these have further solidified our bonds and produced substantial benefits for our people. My goal as President of the Republic is for this relation to further flourish, by investing in areas that also advance people-to-people contacts, such as education, tourism, sport and youth”, he pledged.

The Cyprus Times reported that “in his remarks, Liu Yantao, the Chinese Ambassador to Cyprus said that China and Cyprus have all along firmly supported each other on issues concerning each other’s core interests and major concerns.”

The Ambassador said that, “as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, China has continued to play a constructive role on the Cyprus problem, and fully supported its comprehensive, just and lasting settlement on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and under the framework of bizonal, bicommunal federation.”

He added that President Xi Jinping and President Christodoulides have attached great importance to growth of the China-Cyprus strategic partnership.

“Meanwhile, Cyprus, as an EU member state has played a constructive role in the growth of China-EU relations,” he said.

(Material from the Cyprus Times was used in this report)