Dr. Constantinus Combos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, stressed his country’s keenness to enhance the partnership with the Kingdom of Bahrain, and to build on the progress achieved in bilateral relations between the two countries in various fields, stressing the importance of developing cooperation to include wider and more diversified prospects.
The Cypriot Foreign Minister appreciated the support of His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the King of the Great Country, may God protect and preserve him, and His Royal Highness Prince Salman bin Hamad Al Khalifa, Crown Prince, Prime Minister, may God protect him, to develop bilateral relations, praising the visions of His Majesty the King that made the Kingdom a model for regional and international cooperation, indicating that Bahrain hosts the thirty -third Arab Summit in May 2024 as one of the prominent examples of this role Entrepreneurship.
He said that his official visit to the Kingdom of Bahrain represents an opportunity to review and evaluate what was accomplished in the course of relations between the two countries, in addition to discussing the future of the partnership in many sectors, including defense and security, education, culture, health, tourism, trade and investment.
He added that the relationship between his country and the Kingdom of Bahrain is based on firm foundations of mutual respect and ties of relations between the two peoples, as well as joint experiences as two island states that seek regional partnerships that support peace, stability, security and prosperity in the region.
Combos indicated that the Kingdom of Bahrain was one of the first countries with which the Republic of Cyprus signed the Air Transport Services Agreement, as Gulf Air has been traveling directly to Cyprus since 1976, making it one of the oldest destinations for the company.
He stressed that bilateral cooperation has evolved over the years through political consultations between the ministries of the foreign countries in the two countries, and the signing of many important agreements, including: the agreement to avoid double taxation, anti -terrorism and organized crime agreements, and cooperation in the areas of health and energy, as well as economic and technical cooperation, which greatly strengthened bilateral relations.
He pointed out that Cyprus and Bahrain are closely cooperating in international forums and organizations, especially the United Nations, where countries support respect for international law and the international system based on bases, explaining that this rapprochement in visions is reflected in the positions of the two countries towards many regional and international issues, and as a result of this rapprochement and progress, Cyprus opened a residing embassy in Manama last year, to become one of the four member states of the union The European has an embassy residing in the Kingdom of Bahrain.
He added that Cyprus now has embassies residing in all capitals of the Cooperation Council countries, in line with its strategy to enhance the partnership with the GCC countries in general, and the Kingdom of Bahrain in particular, stressing that Cyprus is the Kingdom of Bahrain as a strategic partner.
The Cypriot Foreign Minister explained that economic, commercial and investment cooperation is one of the main axes of the visit, noting that there are great opportunities that can be invested in these areas, pointing out that Cyprus can be a gateway to Bahraini companies towards the European market, while the Kingdom of Bahrain represents a gateway to Cypriot companies to the Gulf states.
He stressed that the chambers of commerce and investment promotion bodies in the two countries will work together to determine the areas of cooperation, and that preliminary discussions are positive, while giving priority to expanding trade and investment cooperation, noting that Cypriot products are already entering the Bahraini market, expressing hope to increase the volume of trade exchange between the two countries.
He pointed out that the financial services and financial technology sector is a promising field for joint cooperation, due to the expertise available to the two sides.
Regarding tourism, he stressed that Cyprus is considered one of the traditional destinations of Gulf aircraft, where four direct flights are currently going on a week between the two countries, noting that there are great potentials that can be worked on to increase the number of tourists from Bahrain to Cyprus and vice versa.
In the context of his talk about the future, the Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus stressed the strategic importance of the corridor of India – the Middle East – Europe (IMEC), considering that this project represents a qualitative step in linking continents and enhancing economic and cultural integration, and that Cyprus, by virtue of its central geographical location in the eastern Mediterranean, is able to be a strategic link between the Gulf region and Europe within this corridor, especially through its ports, with what supports A common vision of prosperity and cooperation.
He praised the support provided by the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Cypriot community residing in the Kingdom, noting that thousands of Cypriots contributed in various areas of life.
Dr. Constantinus Combos concluded his statement by emphasizing his appreciation to the Kingdom of Bahrain and its support for the Cypriot community, again his country’s commitment to continuing to develop bilateral relations and benefit from the upcoming presidency of Cyprus to the European Union to strengthen the partnership with Bahrain and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries.
Dr. Constantinus Combos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, arrived in the Kingdom of Bahrain on Sunday evening on an official visit that represents the beginning of a new chapter in the distinguished relations between the two friendly countries. He met yesterday evening with His Majesty King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa, the king of the country, may God protect and preserve him, and His Excellency Dr. Abdul Latif bin Rashid Al Zayani and Minister of Foreign Affairs, where the discussions focused on reviewing the achievements within the framework of bilateral relations and anticipating the promising prospects of cooperation in the future.
