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Xinhua News Agency, China
Nov 24 2006
Cyprus, Armenia pledge to boost cooperation
Cyprus and Armenia pledged on Thursday to further enhance their
friendly ties and strengthen overall cooperation.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who arrived in Cyprus on
Wednesday for a three-day official visit, the first by an Armenian
president, voiced full support to Cyprus concerning the settlement of
Cyprus issue, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency reported.
During his visit, Kocharyan held talks with his Cypriot counterpart
Tassos Papadopoulos over a wide range of issues, aiming at developing
bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of education,
tourism, banking and culture, according to Cyprus News Agency.
The presidents also attended a signing ceremony of a bilateral
agreement on cooperation in combating organized and other forms of
crime, which was signed by the justice ministers of the two
countries.
As for the Cyprus issue, Kocharyan said after the signing ceremony
that "Armenia wants a speedy solution to the Cyprus problem,
according to the wishes of the people of Cyprus and its leadership."
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened
and occupied the north of Cyprus following a coup by a group of Greek
officers.
Commenting on relations with Turkey and Turkey's EU accession course,
Kocharyan said that Turkey's wish to enter the EU implies that Ankara
would settle its relations with its neighboring countries, including
Armenia.
The internationally-recognized Republic of Cyprus entered the
European Union on behalf of the whole island in May 2004, but Turkey
has been refusing to open its ports to it unless the EU makes good on
promises to ease the economic isolation of Cyprus' breakaway north
supported by Turkey alone.
Armenia does not have diplomatic ties with neighboring Turkey either,
amid a row over the alleged mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks in 1915-1917.
Nov 24 2006
Cyprus, Armenia pledge to boost cooperation
Cyprus and Armenia pledged on Thursday to further enhance their
friendly ties and strengthen overall cooperation.
Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, who arrived in Cyprus on
Wednesday for a three-day official visit, the first by an Armenian
president, voiced full support to Cyprus concerning the settlement of
Cyprus issue, the semi-official Cyprus News Agency reported.
During his visit, Kocharyan held talks with his Cypriot counterpart
Tassos Papadopoulos over a wide range of issues, aiming at developing
bilateral cooperation, especially in the fields of education,
tourism, banking and culture, according to Cyprus News Agency.
The presidents also attended a signing ceremony of a bilateral
agreement on cooperation in combating organized and other forms of
crime, which was signed by the justice ministers of the two
countries.
As for the Cyprus issue, Kocharyan said after the signing ceremony
that "Armenia wants a speedy solution to the Cyprus problem,
according to the wishes of the people of Cyprus and its leadership."
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey militarily intervened
and occupied the north of Cyprus following a coup by a group of Greek
officers.
Commenting on relations with Turkey and Turkey's EU accession course,
Kocharyan said that Turkey's wish to enter the EU implies that Ankara
would settle its relations with its neighboring countries, including
Armenia.
The internationally-recognized Republic of Cyprus entered the
European Union on behalf of the whole island in May 2004, but Turkey
has been refusing to open its ports to it unless the EU makes good on
promises to ease the economic isolation of Cyprus' breakaway north
supported by Turkey alone.
Armenia does not have diplomatic ties with neighboring Turkey either,
amid a row over the alleged mass killings of Armenians by Ottoman
Turks in 1915-1917.