Tourism, trade, security, energy, defence and regional developments were on the agenda of the meeting between President Nikos Christodoulides and Israeli President Isaac Herzog, President Christodoulides noted while welcoming Herzog to Nicosia on Thursday.
Herzog, who is in Nicosia on a working visit, expressed the wish for a trilateral meeting between the Presidents of Cyprus, Lebanon and Israel, noting that this was “a dream” to him, and that it was important to “move towards peace in the region.”
President Christodoulides, welcoming the Israeli President at the Presidential Palace, said that Herzog was “not a stranger to us”, noting his family’s “deep-rooted connection to Cyprus”.
He said he was looking forward to their discussions on how to enhance the two countries’ strategic partnership at all levels.
As regards tourism, he said that in the summer “we have a record number of flights coming from Israel, more than 200 per week, where the average every year is approximately 140.”
He also said that they would discuss tourism, trade, security, energy, defence, but at the same time, exchange views on the regional developments in the neighbourhood “and how we can work together, also with other like-minded countries in order to create conditions of stability, security, and cooperation.”
Herzog thanked President Christodoulides for the welcome. “I love your country, and I grew up loving it since childhood, and it's always great to visit”, and see the growth and development in Cyprus every time he visits, he went on.
“You are a great friend”, he told President Christodoulides, noting that Israel respects the dialogue with him, “the openness and frankness” on all the issues he mentioned earlier.
“My dream is, I wish we could meet with the President of Lebanon, the President of Cyprus and the President of Israel, even here, and I wish we could realise a dream like that one day, and I believe we should move towards peace in the region, whilst making sure that terror is shunned away and removed”, for the wellbeing of the entire region and the world, Herzog said.
“I bring a message of friendship from Israel”, he said, expressing hope that together the two countries can further their “unique partnership”, which he said is very important between the two peoples and nations.
