Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas on Thursday offered his “warm thanks” to the Republic of Cyprus for the country’s “humanitarian and political support for the Palestinian people”, as he arrived in Nicosia to meet Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides.

He made reference to the fact that the Republic of Cyprus has recognised Palestinian statehood since 1988, a move which he said “reflects the Republic of Cyprus’ position of solidarity for the rights of the Palestinian people”.

“I believe that the relation between Palestine and the Republic of Cyprus dates back to well before 1988, when there were very close relations between Cyprus and Palestine,” he said.

He then added that he wished to “stress in front of the whole world our warm thanks to the Republic of Cyprus for its humanitarian and political support for the Palestinian people and the Palestinian problem”.

“We are interested in the security of the region, and we are also interested in the security of Israelis. We do not want military friction and conflicts, and we want to solve the problem on the basis of the [United Nations] security council, based on international law, to the benefit of the whole region,” he said.

‘We are in favour of peaceful, popular resistance’

On this front, he stressed that “we have adopted a slogan which we are not embarrassed to say loud and clear, that we are in favour of peaceful, popular resistance which expresses the protest of the Palestinian people in cases where the rights of the Palestinian people are violated”.

He added during a planned one-on-one meeting with Christodoulides, “we will have an extensive opportunity to exchange views on the situation, and on the extent to which the Palestinian people is suffering, whether that is related to the Gaza strip, or the West Bank, or East Jerusalem, which is the legal capital of the Palestinian state, based on international resolutions”.

“For many years, we have been extending an olive branch to the Israeli side, so as to reach a settlement and for peace to prevail, not only directly between Israel and Palestine, but also between Israel and the neighbouring Arab nations, to the benefit of the entire region and world,” he said.

He also made reference to this week’s Israeli elections, saying that “we are still awaiting the final results and the final form of the Israeli government” which will be formed thereafter, but that “as soon as it is formed, we are willing to discuss with them the matter of peace”.

“When [the new Israeli government] is formed, your supporting role, given that you have such good intentions and that you are a neighbouring country, a neighbouring friendly country, will be to work towards a peaceful discussion which will have tangible positive results,” he said.

Christodoulides: Our position on the Palestinian issue is clear

Christodoulides, meanwhile, said of the Republic of Cyprus’ recognition of Palestinian statehood that “our position regarding the resolution of the Palestinian issue is clear, based on the agreed framework of United Nations resolutions”.

“At the same time, current circumstances highlight both the importance we place on our bilateral relations and our commitment to fostering conditions of security and stability in our region,” he said.

He also made reference to the humanitarian aid Cyprus sends towards Palestine and the training offered to Palestinian emergency workers at Larnaca’s Cyclops centre, before returning to the issue of geopolitics.

“Your visit takes place at a critical juncture for our region. I look forward to our discussion and exchange of views, as we explore how we can work together, through a positive approach, to foster conditions of security and stability in the region,” he said.

In this, he stressed that “the Republic of Cyprus is part of the solution to the problems in the region” and “not part of the problems”.

“We are constantly working within this positive framework, and, naturally, we remain at the disposal of Palestine, ready to play whatever role they deem necessary for the Republic of Cyprus to fulfil, so as to achieve our common goals,” he said.