Cyprus House president Annita Demetriou on Monday welcomed Greece’s new ambassador to Nicosia, Konstantinos Kollias, for their first meeting since he assumed his post.

Both expressed satisfaction with the close cooperation between the two countries and looked forward to working together, particularly in the run-up to the upcoming official visit of Greek parliament president Nikitas Kaklamanis to Cyprus.

“We continue with a common course and alignment in everything we are striving for,” she said, describing relations between the two countries as “an unbreakable front between Greece and Cyprus.”

She called the ties with Athens, along with EU membership, “the greatest diplomatic advantage of the Republic of Cyprus.”

Highlighting joint positions on European defense, Demetriou cited the EU’s Security Action for Europe (SAFE) programme, underlining that Nicosia and Athens share the same stance on participation by third countries – in this case Turkey.

Kollias said it was “a great honour” to meet Demetriou so soon after arriving in Nicosia. “In view of Kaklamanis’ upcoming visit, our cooperation begins under the best auspices and conditions,” he noted.

Kollias said he was honored to meet Demetriou and welcomed the chance to begin cooperation “under the best auspices,” noting that Kaklamanis’ visit will again demonstrate “the strong and unwavering support of the Greek parliament, state and government for the Cypriot government’s efforts to resolve the Cyprus issue within the agreed UN Security Council framework.”

Demetriou stressed the “importance of the Greek embassy’s presence on the island” and noted the “excellent relationship” she enjoyed with Kollias’ predecessors, expressing confidence that this strong partnership will continue.