Cyprus remains committed to strengthening cooperation with China

President of the House of Representatives, Demetris Syllouris said that Cyprus remains committed to further broadening the areas of cooperation with China under the One Belt, One Road Initiative.
 
He was speaking at a conference entitled “The role of globalization in the era of The One Belt, One Road Initiative”,  held at the European University and organised by the Embassy of the People’s Republic of China in Nicosia and the European University.
 
He expressed his appreciation to China’s Ambassador Huang Xingyuan, for the exceptional “overall support to parliamentary relations between our two countries and especially” to Syllouris’ my initiative for a Memorandum of Understanding between the House of Representatives and the National People’s Congress, that was signed in December 2018.
 
The main objective of the Memorandum is to shift the focus from the predominantly cultural character of the existing cooperation between our two countries and to open new avenues of strategic and practical partnerships, particularly under the One Belt, One Road Initiative.
 
President Xi’s One Belt, One Road Initiative is a global one, he said, which symbolizes, on the one hand, the historic links and influences between East and West, reminding us of the ancient Silk Road. On the other hand, he added, it aims to promote not only international connectivity, but also to boost global growth and development, increasing mutual understanding, respect, trust and amicable relations between our peoples and consequently our countries, thus signalling a new era in multilateral cooperation.
 
Evident of the Republic of Cyprus’ support to the Initiative and its willingness to further enrich cooperation with participating countries, as well as of the fact that Cyprus is a genuine supporter of an ever closer Euro-Asian relationship, is the signing of a number of bilateral Memoranda of Understanding with China, in an array of fields, in the framework of the Belt and Road Initiative, the House President said.
 
He explained that this stance results from “our belief that a comprehensive strategic partnership between Europe and Asia in a multitude of areas, based on adherence to market rules and international norms and standards, will be mutually beneficial and further reinforce economic, trade and investment relations between our two continents”. 
 
It is for this reason that, from the very beginning, Cyprus supported the Belt and Road Initiative, he said, adding Cyprus strongly advocates that this project would be to Europe’s best interests and its efforts to achieve sustainable growth.
 
To this end, I strongly believe that Cyprus’ location, at the crossroads of three continents - Europe, Africa and Asia – provides an important geostrategic advantage as regards the successful implementation of the Initiative across all areas of its wide-ranging connectivity, Syllouris remarked.
 
The One Belt, One Road Initiative constitutes a project that strives to build bridges between continents, nations and citizens.
 
Cyprus, he underlined, “remains committed to further broadening the areas of our cooperation under the One Belt, One Road Initiative, ensuring the successful implementation of its mission”.