Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis and House President Annita Demetriou reaffirmed their commitment to close coordination between Athens and Nicosia on Tuesday, saying renewed diplomatic efforts on the Cyprus issue made cooperation between the two governments more important than ever.

Meeting at Maximos mansion in Athens, Mitsotakis congratulated Demetriou on her re-election as House president and praised her role in promoting Cyprus’ positions through parliamentary diplomacy.

“You have an extremely important mission both as a state institution and through parliamentary diplomacy, which you have exercised with great effectiveness, raising international awareness of the national issue,” he said.

Referring to renewed diplomatic activity on the Cyprus problem, Mitsotakis said Demetriou’s visit came “at a critical juncture”.

“There is again substantial movement on the Cyprus issue, and I am very interested in hearing your views, as it is our duty to have absolute coordination, as we have had throughout all these years,” he said.

Demetriou thanked the Greek prime minister for Greece’s continued support, describing the relationship between the two countries as one of close cooperation across political, parliamentary and diplomatic levels.

“Greece was, is and will remain our strongest brotherly ally, which we need so much,” she said.

She said parliamentary diplomacy could further strengthen cooperation between the two countries, particularly in defence, security and European affairs, adding that closer cooperation between parliamentary committees would reinforce their common positions.

Demetriou also referred to efforts to advance the Cyprus issue, saying discussions had focused on maintaining momentum towards the resumption of negotiations.

“We hope that we will have the mobility that will ensure real progress on the Cyprus issue,” she said, adding that talks had also covered the Euro-Turkish dimension and wider regional challenges.

Mitsotakis also congratulated Cyprus on what he described as a successful EU council presidency, saying there had been “universal recognition” of the work carried out by the Cypriot government despite the challenges smaller member states face in organising the rotating presidency.

The meeting followed Demetriou’s discussions in Athens on Monday with Greek Foreign Minister Giorgos Gerapetritis, during which both sides stressed the need for substantive progress towards the resumption of Cyprus settlement negotiations and continued coordination between Greece and Cyprus on regional and European issues.