The Central Asian region has emerged as one of the key priorities of Cyprus’ foreign policy, Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), as he continues his tour of the region.
The Foreign Minister completed the second leg of his visit to Central Asian countries on Sunday, 7 June and was to depart from Uzbekistan for Kyrgyzstan.
The tour follows the first-ever visit, earlier this week, by a President of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan, during which a business forum was held and the Embassy of Cyprus in Astana was officially inaugurated.
Asked by CNA, Kombos stressed that the main objective of his tour is to strengthen bilateral relations with the countries of the region and to create additional opportunities for mutual investment and economic cooperation. After all, he noted, the foreign and domestic policy dimensions “are closely interconnected”.
He said that, in Tajikistan, where he paid the first-ever visit by a Cypriot Foreign Minister to the country, he had the opportunity to meet his counterpart, Sirojiddin Muhriddin, the Speaker of the Lower House, Faizali Idizoda, and was also received by the President of the Republic, Emomali Rahmon.
The signing of a Memorandum of Cooperation in the field of Higher Education and Research, establishing a framework for enhanced cooperation in higher education, academic exchanges and scientific research, was “of particular significance”, he said.
Kombos noted that the Ministry of Foreign Affairs has awarded a significant number of scholarships to citizens of Tajikistan and Uzbekistan over the past two years.
He also visited Uzbekistan, his second visit there following his first trip to the country two years ago. The Foreign Minister told CNA that the initial visit was followed by an intensification of bilateral contacts, including rounds of political consultations and a visit by a business delegation.
In Tashkent, Kombos met with his counterpart, Bakhtiyor Saidov, with whom, he noted, maintains regular contact, both on the sidelines of the annual United Nations General Assembly and at various international forums.
The Foreign Minister was due to depart for Kyrgyzstan on the afternoon of Sunday, 7 June, where he will meet his counterpart, Zheenbek Kulubaev, and other officials on Monday, 8 June.
Asked about the objectives of the tour, Kombos underlined that Central Asia has become “one of the key priorities” of Cyprus’ foreign policy over the past two years. In addition to Cyprus’ “consistent engagement in the region”, he said, opportunities are being created for the business community to establish partnerships in an area of significant geopolitical and economic importance.
At the same time, he added, “the political reasons linked to our national issue are clearly a guiding factor in this approach, producing tangible results, such as the EU-Central Asia Joint Declaration of April 2025, which contains specific references to the Cyprus issue”.
The Foreign Minister further stressed that all Central Asian countries have aligned themselves with the joint declarations adopted at both the EU-Central Asia Ministerial Meeting in March 2025 and the EU-Central Asia Summit in April 2025, which contain explicit references to respect for the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of all states, as well as explicit references to United Nations Security Council Resolutions 541 (1983) and 550 (1984), which, as is well known, he said, relate exclusively to Cyprus.
“The expansion of our diplomatic footprint constitutes a strategic compass for the conduct of our foreign policy, particularly in regions with inherent sensitivities”, Kombos said.
(Source: CNA)
