Cypriot foreign minister praises ties with Qatar

Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Dr. Erato Kozakou-Marcoulis hailed relations between Qatar and Cyprus, especially on the political level, expressing hopes for their further advancement in all aspects. Speaking to Qatar news agency (QNA) on the occasion of Cyprus's assumption of the presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU Council) from July 1st to December 31st of this year, Dr. Marcoulis pointed out Qatari-Cypriot relations, which have been remarkably boosted during the last years following the exchange of high-level political visits and the signing of a considerable number of bilateral agreements. The exchanges began in November 2008, with the visit of HE the Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim bin Jabor Al Thani to Cyprus and the signing of the first agreement, and continued in May 2009 with the official visit of the President of the Republic of Cyprus HE Dimitris Christofias to Doha, during which further agreements were signed. "The culmination of the development of our relations was the visit of HH the Emir of the State of Qatar Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa Al Thani to Cyprus in April 2010 and the signing of additional agreements, the most important of which were the Agreement for the Reciprocal Promotion and Protection of Investment, and the Air Services Agreement," she said. "In total, around twenty agreements have been signed and ratified, and around fifteen are at the stage of negotiation," she added. The Cypriot top diplomat also referred to several visits on the ministerial level, the latest being that of HE the Minister of Culture, Arts and Heritage Dr. Hamad bin Abdulaziz Al Kuwari to Cyprus in January 2012, during which an agreement on cultural cooperation between the two countries was signed. Underlining the impressive development of bilateral relations between the two countries, Dr. Marcoulis said there is always room for further enhancement especially in the economic, trade, tourism and energy sectors, in addition to supporting Qatar's relations with the EU in light of Cyprus's current presidency.