President Anastasiades in Spain

The Prime Minister of Spain, Mr. Pedro Sanchez, and the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Nicos Anastasiadis, met on December 9 at the Palace of Moncloa, as part of the latter's visit to Madrid at the invitation of His Majesty King Philip.

During the meeting, the two leaders affirmed the excellent relations between Spain and Cyprus and discussed global challenges and important issues on the European agenda. The two leaders exchanged views on the COVID-19 pandemic and stressed the importance of exchanging knowledge, know-how, best practices and technology. They also reaffirmed their commitment to the EU Recovery and Resilience Fund to boost their two countries' economies and recover from the effects of COVID-19. Moreover, they discussed issues on tackling migration.  And in light of the Mediterranean countries of first entry, stressed the importance of adopting a new Asylum and Migration Pact that will allow the EU to respond quickly and guarantee effective management of migration flows,

In addition, the two leaders expressed their great satisfaction for the signing, on this occasion, of three Memoranda of Understanding, in the field of Health, political consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs and the cooperation between the Spanish Diplomatic School and the Cyprus Diplomatic Academy. They also expressed their strong will to strengthen and deepen relations in trade, innovation, tourism, culture and education.

The leaders reiterated that a peaceful, stable, secure and prosperous Mediterranean is a strategic priority for the EU and expressed their support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries. They also stressed the importance of respecting the sovereign rights of each state in its maritime zones in accordance with international law, including the law of the sea.

Finally, they reaffirmed their strong support for a comprehensive and sustainable settlement to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of a bi-communal, bi-zonal federation with political equality, as set out in the UN Security Council resolutions and in line with the acquis, EU principles and values. They also stressed that, as far as Varos is concerned, all UN Security Council resolutions and declarations, as well as the relevant decisions of the European Council, must be respected and implemented in order to contribute to a comprehensive and sustainable political settlement. This will not only benefit the people of Cyprus, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots but will make a significant contribution to peace and stability in the wider region.