Foreign ministers Cyprus and the United Kingdom, in the third high-level meeting between the two countries in the last two months, following two meetings between the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom, with Constantinos Kombos saying that he and his British counterpart David Lammy are working towards deepening bilateral relations.

The meeting of the two ministers was followed by the second review of the two countries’ Strategic Dialogue by expanded delegations.

The two ministers discussed bilateral cooperation issues, the Cyprus issue and developments in the Middle East.

In his brief remarks during his reception at the official residence of the British Foreign Secretary, N. Lammy spoke of a “wonderful and warm” bilateral relationship. He added that he has known Cyprus all his life through the many expatriates who have made their home in north London, which he himself represents in the House of Commons.

He expressed the British Government’s “immense gratitude” to Cyprus for the help it has given to the world community during the Middle East crisis, for the way it has supported the people of Ukraine, for the way it continues to fight money trafficking.

For his part, Mr. Kombos noted that the meeting comes after two meetings between the leaders of the two countries in a 60-day period, a point that Mr. Lammy also made. “There is a clear political direction,” the Cypriot Foreign Minister said, adding that he and his interlocutor are committed to turning intentions into actions and results towards deepening bilateral relations.

He spoke of a very solid foundation in bilateral relations arising from historical ties, the multi-layered nature of these ties and the “crucial” role of the Diaspora.

He also spoke of a strategic vision of upgrading, strengthening and adjusting the relations between the two countries to implement the political direction that has been charted. He concluded by talking about a very important agenda in today’s talks.

The bilateral Strategic Dialogue was launched this time last year in Nicosia and was set up by the Memorandum of Understanding signed in November 2022 in London by then Foreign Ministers Ioannis Kasoulides and James Cleverley.

The purpose of today’s dialogue is to review the deepening of bilateral cooperation over the past year in the areas under review, as well as to update actions based on the guidelines provided by the Foreign Ministers and the leaders of the two countries.

The individual areas of bilateral cooperation being examined by the Strategic Dialogue are foreign policy, defense and security, trade and prosperity, education, culture, science and innovation, maritime affairs, addressing climate change, law enforcement and the fight against serious organized crime and terrorism, legal cooperation and consular services.