DIPLOMACY: First official visit by a Saudi Foreign Minister to Cyprus

Saudi Foreign Minister Ibrahim Bin Abdulaziz Al-Assaf makes a landmark visit to Cyprus on Wednesday, the first ever in the history of diplomatic relations between the two countries.

Cyprus Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulides will meet with his Saudi counterpart in Nicosia, for expanded talks with the participation of delegations, during which bilateral relations are expected to be reviewed and ways to further strengthen them will be examined.

There will also be an exchange of views on EU -Saudi Arabia relations, the situation in the wider Middle East and the Gulf region, and regional issues of mutual interest including energy and the effort to combat terrorism.

Christodoulides will also inform his counterpart about the latest developments in the Cyprus issue as well as about the situation in the Eastern Mediterranean.

During his visit, the Foreign Minister of Saudi Arabia will be received by President, Nicos Anastasiades, and House Speaker Demetris Syllouris.

In January 2018 Anastasiades became the first Cyprus president to visit Saudi Arabia at the invitation of King Salman.