President Nikos Christodoulides held a series of meetings with heads of state and government on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly (UNGA) in New York on Tuesday.
He met with King Abdullah II of Jordan, Egyptian Prime Minister Mustafa Kamal Madbouly, Greek premier Kyriacos Mitsotakis and was due to meet in the evening with Lebanese President Joseph Aoun.
Christodoulides briefed the Greek Prime Minister on the priorities of Cyprus’ upcoming Presidency of the EU Council, and discussed the agenda of the next intergovernmental summit between the two countries, set for November in Greece.
On the much-discussed Great Sea Interconnector that is supposed to connect, via undersea cable, the electricity grids of Greece, Cyprus and then Israel, the two leaders said they remained fully committed to implementing the project of strategic importance, adding that this was also the position of the Presidents of the European Commission and Council.
Later in the evening, the presidential couple were due to attend a reception hosted by the US President and the First Lady.
On Monday, the Cypriot president participated in the High-Level International Conference on the Peaceful Settlement of the Question of Palestine and the Implementation of the Two-State Solution, co-organised by France and Saudi Arabia.
He also met with executives from energy giant Chevron and Amazon.
With Javier La Rosa, the new President of Chevron’s BAEC (Base Assets and Emerging Countries) Division, Christodoulides highlighted the priority given to the “strict adherence to timetables”, according to government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis.
Chevron is the lead operator in the consortium controlling the Aphrodite concession in Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone – the first gas discovery in Cypriot waters.
Letymbiotis said offshore geotechnical and geological surveys for subsea installations and for the pipeline route to Egypt are already underway since June.
With David Zapolsky, Amazon’s Senior Vice President, Chief Global Affairs & Legal Officer, the Cypriot president discussed ways to increase opportunities for cooperation on the digital transformation of Cyprus.
In a statement, Letymbiotis said Cyprus is “rapidly emerging as a regional hub of innovation, particularly in areas such as fintech, regtech, and gametech, hosting more than 1,600 international companies, including 47 multinationals”.
The startup ecosystem has grown five times since 2020, with many operating internationally, while the Information and Communication Technology sector has recorded annual growth of over 17% since 2014, contributing nearly 14% to GDP, added Letymbiotis.
On Wednesday, Christodoulides will meet with UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres to discuss the Cyprus problem, and host a lunch for the representatives of the five Permanent Members of the UN Security Council before addressing the UNGA at 9pm Cyprus time.
The president is also due to meet with Chinese Prime Minister Li Qiang, and with executives from ExxonMobil in New York.
On September 26, Christodoulides will meet with the Crown Prince of Kuwait, Sabah Al-Khalid Al-Sabah, before participating in a tripartite meeting on Saturday with Guterres and Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar.
