US business professionals and executives expressed a strong interest in investing in Cyprus during a working lunch with president Nikos Christodoulides.

The meeting, which took place in New York on Thursday, sought to enhance economic ties between the two nations.

“The primary objective of the meeting was to explore opportunities for attracting high-quality investments to Cyprus,” government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis said in a statement regarding the president’s attendance at the working lunch with members of the US business community.

For their part, the US business executives acknowledged that Cyprus’ international reputation, especially in the US, “has been significantly upgraded,” thanks to the country’s strong bilateral ties with the US and recent acts of cooperation.

According to the report, this has improved Cyprus’ appeal as a destination for investment.

Further, the US business community demonstrated “real interest in a number of sectors in which they operate, such as energy, shipping, tourism, finance, services, and infrastructure”.

In addition, there was a mutual agreement to maintain close cooperation and stay in contact for more detailed discussions in the coming months.

During the business lunch, Christodoulides also briefed attendees on the implementation of his reform programme, particularly focusing on the digitisation efforts aimed at making Cyprus more attractive to investors.

“The digitisation of key services and processes of the state will be catalytic in attracting these investments and facilitating investors in our country,” Christodoulides concluded.