High Commissioner Antonis Sammoutis presented his letters of credence, to His Excellency, General the Honourable David Hurley AC DSC (Retd).
Present at the ceremony were Governor's spouse, Her Excellency Mrs Linda Hurley, High Commissioner's spouse, Mrs Elena Makhankova, and Deputy Head of Mission, Mr Stavros Nikolaou.
The new High Commissioner had a private meeting with the Governor General, to whom he conveyed the warm greetings of the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
He also reaffirmed Cyprus' special relations with Australia, where tens of thousands of Cypriot expats live, and thanked the country for its long-standing presence in UNFICYP and its support to the efforts for a resolution to the Cyprus issue. He also reassured that he would work with all his efforts to further strengthen bilateral political, economic and cultural cooperation.
The Governor General welcomed the new High Commissioner, wished him the best in his new post and asked him to convey his warm greetings to the President of the Republic of Cyprus. In addition to the Cyprus issue, current international developments were discussed.
Finally, special reference was made to the 50th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Cyprus and Australia in 2023, a milestone which will be duly commemorated in various ways.