On Wednesday, 14 June 2023, the Shipping Deputy Minister, Ms Marina Hadjimanolis, had a formal meeting with the Ambassador of Greece to Cyprus, Mr Ioannis Papameletiou, at the office of the Shipping Deputy Ministry in Nicosia.

Welcoming the Greek Ambassador, Ms. Hadjimanolis referred to the close relations between Cyprus and Greece and expressed her wish that the two countries continue to work together so that the existing relations between them are strengthened even further.

The Greek Ambassador congratulated the Deputy Minister for assuming her duties and also expressed his wish to emphasize the strengthening and reinforcement of existing and future collaborations. The excellent relations were confirmed, both at bilateral level, with the excellent cooperation between the Shipping Deputy Ministry and the Maritime Office of the Cyprus Embassy in Piraeus with the Ministry of Maritime Affairs and Insular Policy, as well as at international level through their joint participation and efforts in international forums and in particular in the International Maritime Organization.

Referring to the elections for the election of the IMO Council, the Deputy Minister pointed out that the election of Cyprus to the IMO Council is of national importance and thanked the Greek Ambassador for Greece’s long-standing support for the election of Cyprus to the IMO Council, as Cyprus has also traditionally supported Greece for election in category A.

Among other issues, the Passenger Maritime Passenger Link between Cyprus and Greece was also discussed, where the Deputy Minister stressed the significant interest of the passenger public, as more than 10,000 bookings have been made since the beginning of the announcement of the routes until now. Ms. Hadjimanolis informed Mr. Papameletiou of the inclusion of routes from the port of Larnaca, which was deemed necessary due to the increased demand and for the better service of our fellow citizens. She thanked him for the very important contribution of Greece and the assistance of all the governmental services involved, as well as the Piraeus Port Authority (PPA), for the implementation of the whole project of the Maritime Link between the two countries after so many years.

Finally, the Deputy Minister informed the Greek Ambassador of the “Maritime Cyprus 2023” Conference, which will take place on 8-11 October 2023 and informed him that she will extend an invitation to the new Minister of Maritime Affairs, who will take over, with a request to attend the Conference.

In closing, the Deputy Minister thanked the Ambassador of Greece for the constructive meeting and assured him that the cooperation between the two sides will continue and that the Shipping Deputy Ministry looks forward to further enhancing cooperation in the field of Shipping, with the aim of promoting more effectively the joint initiatives and actions of the two countries.