House speaker Annita Demetriou met with Chinese ambassador Liu Yantao on Thursday to underline the excellent relations between the two countries.

During the meeting, the excellent level of Cyprus-China relations was underlined on both sides, based on the solidarity between the two countries on issues related to common principles and the scope for their further deepening and development, especially after their upgrade to a strategic partnership.

Demetriou expressed special thanks for the principled position that China has always maintained, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, regarding the Cyprus problem and the efforts to resolve it under the auspices of the Secretary General of the United Nations and in accordance with the relevant resolutions of the UN Security Council.

She also expressed the firm position of the Cyprus in respect of China’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and the “One China” principle.

The ambassador reaffirmed China’s principled position in favour of achieving a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the bi-zonal bi-communal federation, as provided for in the United Nations Resolutions on Cyprus and underlined his country’s readiness to provide all possible support for this the direction.

Regarding the Turkish provocations and illegal actions in the closed area of Varosha, the Chinese Ambassador reiterated his country’s adherence to the relevant UN resolutions. At the same time, Liu expressed his sincere thanks for Cyprus’ long standing principled stance and support for the “One China” principle.

During the meeting, the two discussed issues of common and special interest to each country and the prioritisation was agreed regarding the course of bilateral relations and Cyprus-China cooperation in various fields, including the green and digital transition, tourism, and culture.