Contacts of the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides in London
As part of his working visit to London, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Ioannis Kasoulides, had a number of contacts and meetings today.
Mr. Kasoulides met in the morning with the Director of the Chatham House Think Tank, Mr. Robin Niblett in the presence of a group of researchers on EU and Eastern Mediterranean issues. During the meeting, they exchanged views on current international developments, with an emphasis on the new environment that is taking shape in Europe as a result of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the complications it has caused at the global level, such as the food crisis, energy supply, inflation and high consumer prices. Mr. Kasoulides had the opportunity to inform his contacts about the Cyprus’ approach to the issue of Ukraine and also the role that our country wishes to play in the context of the new security architecture in Europe. To this end, he briefed his contacts on the regional policy of Cyprus in the context of multilateral cooperation mechanisms with neighbouring countries. Partnerships that are governed by extroversion, predictability and the effort to create conditions of security and stability in the turbulent geographical basin of the Eastern Mediterranean. In addition, the Minister of Foreign Affairs explained the way in which our side perceives the next steps in the Cyprus problem and the difficulties observed as a result of the Turkish attitude.
Subsequently, the Minister of Foreign Affairs met in the House of Commons with the Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Parliament, Mr. Chris Bryant, with whom he had the opportunity to exchange views on current foreign policy issues, as well as on the Cyprus issue. Mr. Bryant, who is well informed regarding the Cyprus problem as a result of his previous capacity as the UK's Minister for Europe, expressed support for efforts to find a solution to the Cyprus problem under the agreed framework set by the UN and the relevant UN Resolutions.
Finally, Mr. Kasoulides met with the Most Reverend Archbishop of Thyatira and Great Britain, Mr. Nikitas, with whom they discussed, among other, the role and mission of the Greek Orthodox Community in the United Kingdom.
The Foreign Minister will tonight be a keynote speaker at an event in the House of Commons, which is being organized by the All-Party Parliamentary Group on Cyprus, in collaboration with the UK Cypriot National Federation. The topic of Mr. Kasoulides' speech is "The Foreign Policy of Cyprus in a Changing World".