Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos met his Azeri counterpart on the sidelines of COP29, the first such contact from the state.

Kombos had a bilateral meeting with Azeri Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov, in Baku, Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis posted on X.

Letymbiotis said the two ministers had discussed issues of mutual interest in a frank exchange bringing up their different approaches, in view of the upcoming Cyprus presidency of the EU Council in 2026.

As the two states do not have official diplomatic relations every channel of dialogue is important, Letymbiotis said, adding that Cyprus’ foreign policy and diplomacy is based on its “enduring principles and values.”