Heads of European institutions, leaders and representatives of states and governments as well as representatives of other organisations and bodies will attend the opening ceremony of the Cyprus EU Presidency Wednesday, at the Cyprus Theatre Organisation building in Nicosia.
In statements, President Nikos Christodoulides referred to the official opening ceremony of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU as "a moment of pride for our country."
He referred to developments and challenges, with Nicosia at the EU's helm and expressed his certainty that the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU will fulfill its obligations to strengthen the autonomy of the EU and promote European integration.
A press release issued by the EU Secretariat says that the Ceremony will be attended by the President of the European Council Antonio Costa, the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, the President of the European Court of Auditors Tony Murphy, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelensky, the President of Moldova Maia Sandu, the President of Iraq Abdul Latif Rashid, the President of Lebanon General Joseph Aoun, the Secretary-General of the League of Arab States, Ahmed Aboul Gheit and the Secretary-General of the Gulf Cooperation Council, Jasem Mohamed AlBudaiwi.
Bahrain, Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, will be represented at a ministerial level.
The ceremony, starting at 6.30pm (local time), will include speeches to be followed by an artistic performance in three acts, directed by Costas Silvestros.
The performance titled “MEMORY – PRESENT – FUTURE” will combine music, dance, theater, image, poetry and digital technologies.
It will narrate the history of Cyprus through the centuries, highlighting its culture as an integral part of European civilization.
Over 100 Cypriot artists and cultural professionals contributed to the performance.
The ceremony will be broadcasted live by public boadcaster CyBC 1 and CyBC HD as well as EBS.
President Nikos Christodoulides will host an official dinner for the heads of the 14 official delegations, at the Leventis Gallery.
Cyprus an EU member since 2004, assumed the EU Council Presidency for the second time on 1 January.
Meetings and contacts in framework of ceremony
President Nikos Christodoulides will hold bilateral meetings with heads of EU institutions, heads of state or their representatives, and other foreign officials, in the context of working visits to Cyprus by high-level guests attending the Opening Ceremony.
As announced by the Spokesperson Konstantinos Letymbiotis, a joint meeting between Cyprus President, the heads of the European Commission and the European Council and Ukrainian President will take place today.
President Christodoulides will also have bilateral talks with the President of the European Council and Ukraine’s President, Volodymyr Zelenskyy.
The President of the Republic will also meet the President of Lebanon, Joseph Aoun and Egypt’s Minister of Petroleum, who will represent the Egyptian President at the opening ceremony.
Tight security measures are in place for the opening ceremony.
(Source: CNA)
