Juan David Latorre
The Embassy of Cyprus hosted a reception last Wednesday on the occasion of the celebration of the Cypriot National Day, before numerous members of the Diplomatic Corps and friends of the community of the country bathed by the waters of the Mediterranean.
With the presence of Princess Irene of Greece at the event, the Ambassador of Cyprus, Helena Mina, began her speech by stressing that “one thing is clear with Spain: belonging to the Mediterranean and European culture is the common feature that has defined our history throughout the centuries and continues to be the determining feature of our foreign policies and our contemporary relationship. Through the continuous strengthening of our ties, a common vision has been established that extends beyond the narrow dimensions of a bilateral relationship and is deeply rooted in our shared principles and values”.
After highlighting that in recent years Spain and Cyprus have had “an increase in the exchange of visits at the highest level, as well as the signing of numerous agreements in the fields of economy, health, education, innovation, defence and culture”, the Cypriot Ambassador welcomed the expansion this year of its consular network in Spain with the opening of a fifth Honorary Consulate.
“This year,” continued Helena Mina, “we celebrate not only 63 years of the Republic’s Independence, but also 55 years since the first exchange of ambassadors between Spain and Cyprus, which 8 years after its declaration as an independent republic saw in Spain a friendly country and an ally.”
Referring to the war in Ukraine, Helena Mina pointed out that “Cyprus condemns, in the strongest terms, any action taken by any state that violates international peace and security and goes against the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of another state. However, as you know, unfortunately, the invasion of Ukraine is not the first case of the use of force against a sovereign nation in Europe after the Second World War. Europe remains fractured and will remain fractured as long as Cyprus is divided. The current status quo is unacceptable and cannot be the future of Cyprus. It cannot be the future of Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots”.
“We believe in peaceful coexistence, the Cypriot ambassador pointed out, because although we grew up in a divided country, we also grew up in a country full of hope for reunification. And I still believe that we still share the dream of peace in our common homeland”.
Concluding her speech, Helena Mina referred to the attacks on Israel, “our neighbouring country”. “We are shocked, she said, by this indiscriminate violence and we have activated the national ESTIA mechanism to facilitate the safe repatriation of third country nationals, including Spaniards through Cyprus”.
The reception was attended by many dignitaries, including Alejandro Abellán, Director General for Internal Market Coordination and other Community Policies; María Sebastián de Erice, Ambassadors’ Introducer, and Raquel Gómez-Cambronero, Director General Western Central and South East Europe, together with the ambassadors of the Holy See, Austria, Portugal, Qatar, the Emirates, Poland, Lebanon, Jordan, Malta, Romania, Slovakia, North Macedonia, Pakistan, Oman, Croatia, Lithuania, Estonia, Malaysia, South Korea, Armenia, Canada, Nepal, Hungary, Belgium and Nicaragua, among others. Also in attendance were members of the business community, both Cypriot and Spanish, such as the designer Agatha Ruiz de la Prada, and academics.
