The President of the Republic hosted an official
dinner
in honor of the President of
Armenia
The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades,
hosted, yesterday evening at the Presidential Palace, an official dinner in
honor of the President of Armenia, Mr Serzh Sargsyan, who is paying an official
visit to Cyprus.
In his address at the dinner, President Anastasiades
referred to, inter alia, the Armenians of Cyprus, who found a refuge on the
island following the genocide committed by Ottoman Turkey.
He said that the descendants of those refugees
constitute an integral part of the Cypriot society while, at the same time,
preserve and cultivate their noble origins.
President Anastasiades assured the President of Armenia
of his personal commitment to work for the further deepening of the mutually
beneficial cooperation of Cyprus and Armenia, both through the expansion of the
institutional framework as well as through the intensification of the relations
between the governments and the peoples of the two countries.
On his part, the President of Armenia, speaking through
an interpreter, said, inter alia, that both Cypriots and Armenians “have
suffered persecutions from the same causes. We fought jointly for values and
principles which are the source of our civilizations.”
He added that the two countries are firmly committed to these values
and principles and promote their external relations agenda in the same manner.
He then pointed out that the most manifest demonstration of these relations is
that President Anastasiades, along with the President of the Cyprus House of
Representatives, attended the memorial events for the Genocide that took place
in Armenia, precisely in order to demonstrate that it is not possible for crimes
against humanity to remain unpunished.
He added that “it is with great satisfaction that I note
that our political dialogue, especially during the last years, has developed in
a firm way, and a solid proof of this is the cooperation that exists between the
two countries at all levels, including the Government and the Parliament”.
In concluding, he said that various cultural and
educational programs between the two countries are underway, noting also that
the cooperation between Armenia and Cyprus in the military field has been
growing constantly over the last few years.
