President receives Speaker of Cypriot House of Representatives Yiannakis Omirou

President Serzh Sargsyan today received the Speaker of the Cypriot House of Representatives, Yiannakis Omirou.

The President welcomed the dignitary having arrived from the friendly country of Cyprus and the delegation led by him, noting that the visit provided a good opportunity to discuss the items on the Armenian-Cypriot agenda and to outline further cooperation programs.

The Armenian President and the Speaker of the Cypriot House of Representatives underlined that the Armenian and the Cypriot peoples have a relationship that dates back centuries, have overcome multiple hardships throughout history, and presently, Armenia and Cyprus, as independent states, continue strengthening their interstate relations and enhancing cooperation.

According to Yiannakis Omirou, both peoples have always rested and rest upon universal values and principles and partly thanks to it they have managed to respond to all the challenges. He underscored that he had visited a brotherly and not an unknown country, where the delegation led by him had been warmly received.

The interlocutors agreed that the relationship between Armenia and Cyprus rooted in strong historical ties and mutual respect has great potential for development. Serzh Sargsyan and Yiannakis Omirou placed great value on intensification of political dialogue between the two countries, development of closer inter-parliamentary ties and promotion of cooperation within the framework of international organizations.

President Serzh Sargsyan expressed his gratitude to Cypriot authorities and the Cypriot people for being among the first to recognize the Armenian Genocide and for lending a helping hand to a considerable segment of the Armenian people having escaped from the genocide carried out in the Ottoman Empire, granting them asylum and providing the opportunity to live and create.

At the meeting, the RA President and the Speaker of the Cypriot House of Representatives also reflected upon regional issues and contemporary challenges.