President Nikos Christodoulides on Tuesday described his visit to Kazakhstan as “historic” ahead of his departure from Larnaca airport for the central Asian country.

“Kazakhstan is one of the countries we have priorities for strengthening our political and economic relations,” he said in a video posted on social media, before pointing out that in recent years, Cyprus and Kazakhstan have opened embassies in one another’s countries.

He added that his visit to the country this week is “historic”, as “it is the first visit made by a president of the Republic of Cyprus to Kazakhstan”.

“During my stay there, in addition to meeting with the president of the country, important bilateral agreements will be signed,” he said, in reference to his scheduled meeting with Kazakh President Kassym-Jomar Tokayev.

Additionally, he said, he will hold a ceremonial opening for the Cypriot embassy in Astana, Kazakhstan’s capital, and participate in a Cyprus-Kazakhstan business forum, before pointing out that his journey to central Asia on Thursday would constitute the first direct passenger flight between Cyprus and Kazakhstan.

“My satisfaction and joy are even greater because our trip to Astana, together with cabinet ministers and a large business delegation, is being made by Air Astana, on its first flight connecting Cyprus with Kazakhstan,” he said. Air Astana is Kazakhstan’s flag-carrier airline.

On this front, he said that “air connectivity will undoubtedly strengthen efforts to further our political, economic and touristic relations with Kazakhstan”, before adding that Kazakhstan is “a very important country in central Asia with a population exceeding 20 million”.

“Our foreign policy, in practice, upgrades the Republic of Cyprus’ international status and is directly intertwined with the great effort at home to attract quality investment, create more jobs, and further strengthen our economy,” he said.

This, he added, “allows us to pursue targeted social policies and invest in sectors such as education, health, housing, and the welfare state”.

Kazakhstan is one of a small number of countries which diplomatically straddles Cyprus’ divide, with Tokayev having last month invited Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman to the city of Turkistan, in southern Kazakhstan, for a leaders’ summit of the Organisation of Turkic States.

At that summit, Erhurman told Tokayev and other invitees that “the Turkish Cypriot people have been subjected to unjust isolation for many years”, and that “the restrictions we face in all areas of life … constitute a limitation of the fundamental human rights of our people”.

However, he added, “the Turkish Cypriot people, who have internalised universal values ​​such as human rights, democracy, and the rule of law, have consistently and clearly demonstrated their will for a just and lasting solution and reconciliation on the island”.

“The Turkish Cypriot people maintain their will for a solution and continue their search for a solution together with the guarantor country, Turkey. For us, diplomacy, dialogue, lasting stability on the island and in the eastern Mediterranean, cooperation, solution, and the pursuit of peace are essential,” he said.