Cyprus and Luxembourg look to deepen ties

The Prime Minister of Luxembourg Xavier Bettel said on Thursday his country is looking forward to deepen its relationship with Cyprus in the fields of energy and space and lauded the government’s efforts to end the Cyprus problem.

Bettel’s comments came during an official visit to the island, where he held talks with President Nicos Anastasiades at the presidential palace.

“Our two countries share common positions and values and that although they are not geographically close, they are members of the same family,” he said after the meeting.

Furthermore, he said that he is well aware of the Cyprus problem as Anastasiades updated him on the situation several times in Brussels during their meetings at the European Council.

“We do not need to look thousands of kilometres away when around our table we have a country where people do not know what can happen tomorrow.

“I wish for the next generations of Cypriots to be able to know that there is no danger,” he concluded.

On his part, Anastasiades thanked Bettel for his cooperation in the European Council meetings and for the support he has offered to Cyprus throughout his term as Prime Minister.

He stressed that Luxembourg is a model small state, demonstrating admirable political, economic and social stability, and expressed the conviction that Bettel’s visit marks a new chapter in the already excellent relations between the two countries.

Regarding the bilateral relations between Cyprus and Luxembourg, Anastasiades highlighted new areas of further cooperation, such as education, tourism, the financial sector, research and innovation, and the renewable energy sector.

“The war in Ukraine highlighted the urgent need to proceed with Europe’s energy independence, in this rapidly changing geopolitical environment,” Anastasiades said.

“In this respect, I have elaborated that the discovery of hydrocarbons in Cyprus can significantly contribute towards our goal to strengthen the bloc’s energy security by diversifying the sources and routes of our energy supply, with the prospect of a corridor from the Eastern Mediterranean region to Europe gaining a new momentum in recent months.

“The prime minister and I agree that this is the right time to bring fresh impetus to the existing cooperation between Cyprus and Luxembourg and explore concrete ways to take our relations forward, amplifying the benefits for our people,” he concluded.