Mr. Lambrinidis: Mr. President, our relationship goes back many years, through joint efforts on the European level, joint efforts on cooperation and support for the Republic of Cyprus. But I would like to congratulate you in particular on your new duties as President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus. It is a great pleasure and honor to have you here.
As you know, my very first visit after taking up my duties as Foreign Minister was to Cyprus, for reasons both symbolic and substantial, and I am very glad that your first visit is to Greece. You will always have our ardent support – that is clear and goes without saying – and our close cooperation on all the issues. We support you and will support you, and I hope that this cooperation bears fruit soon, because it must.
Mr. Omirou: My warm thanks for the welcome here at the Foreign Ministry. Also, my warm congratulations on taking up your duties at this Ministry, which is so important for our national issues, for Greek foreign policy. Let me say that, yes, the first visit of the President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus is usually – and needs to be, for reasons of substance – to Greece, because Cypriot Hellenism and Greek Hellenism share a common course, while of course maintaining the existence of the separate states of the Republic of Cyprus and the Hellenic Republic.
It is well known that we – as the House or Representatives and the Republic of Cyprus – have collaborated with Minister Lambrinidis closely in the past in his capacity as head of PASOK MEPs at the European Parliament, and it was a creative, productive and fruitful cooperation, and I would like to thank him for that. I also want to make the assurance that we will be in ongoing contact for the promotion of common national goals.
July 1, 2011