President Nikos Christodoulides on Thursday welcomed Sierra Leonean President Julius Maada Bio to the presidential palace, marking the first ever visit of a Sierra Leonean president to the island.

The pair discussed bilateral relations and multilateral cooperation, as well as relations between Sierra Leone and the European Union, developments on the Cyprus problem, as well as what the government described as “issues of regional interest”.

The day’s meetings had begun with private talks between the two presidents, followed by extended talks between the Cypriot and Sierra Leonean delegations, and the signing of memoranda of understanding.

Those memoranda included a memorandum for “political consultations” between the two countries’ foreign ministries with the aim of “further strengthening bilateral relations”, as well as a memorandum signed by the two countries’ education ministries with the aim of “promoting cooperation between higher education institutions” in the two countries.

In addition, a memorandum was signed by the Cypriot education ministry and the Sierra Leonean sports ministry, aiming to “define a common framework for action and cooperation on issues related to sports initiatives and activities”.

After those meetings, Christodoulides and Bio travelled to Nicosia’s old town, where Bio was given a tour of the Green Line.

They then retuned to the presidential palace, where a lunch was held in Bio’s honour.