Foreign Minister meets Cypriot counterpart

Nicosia, Jan. 7 (BNA): Dr. Abdullatif bin Rashid Al Zayani, Minister of Foreign Affairs, met in Nicosia with Constantinos Kombos, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus, on the occasion of the Foreign Minister’s participation in the official ceremonies marking Cyprus’s assumption of the presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Cypriot Foreign Minister welcomed the visit and Bahrain’s participation in the ceremonies, and highlighted the bilateral relations between the two countries and their cooperation across areas of mutual interest.

On his part, Dr. Al Zayani extended his wishes for Cyprus’s success during its presidency of the Council of the European Union.

The Foreign Minister underlined the Kingdom of Bahrain’s interest in strengthening cooperation and developing partnerships between the European Union and the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), particularly given Bahrain’s current presidency of the GCC. He also emphasised the importance of coordination during Bahrain’s forthcoming non-permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

The meeting addressed bilateral relations and avenues to further enhance cooperation, particularly in the economic and investment domains, expand trade, activate existing bilateral agreements, and increase the exchange of delegations and official visits.

Both sides also discussed coordination during Cyprus’s presidency of the Council of the European Union and Bahrain’s presidency of the GCC, as well as Bahrain’s non-permanent membership of the UN Security Council, with regard to issues of shared interest.

Regional developments and their implications for regional security and stability were also discussed, along with ongoing efforts to reach peaceful solutions to regional conflicts and promote peace and stability.

The meeting was attended by Khaled Yousef Al Jalahma, Ambassador of the Kingdom of Bahrain to the Republic of Cyprus, resident in Tel Aviv; Dr. Andreas Eliades, Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus to the Kingdom of Bahrain; Saeed Abdulkhaliq, Chief of the Coordination and Follow-up Sector; Shaikha Al Anood bint Ibrahim Al Khalifa, Acting Head of the European Affairs Sector; and members of the accompanying delegation.