Cyprus and Greece praise expanding intergovernmental cooperation

Nicosia, Cyprus. The presidential palace on Saturday praised the current level of cooperation between Cyprus and Greece, saying regular intergovernmental summits have created a stable coordination mechanism between the two countries.

It said the mechanism has delivered direct benefits for Cyprus in areas including health, pharmaceuticals, transplants, energy, civil protection, education, migration, digital policy and security.

Regular summits

Annual intergovernmental summits between Cyprus and Greece have taken place since 2023. The next summit is expected to be held in Cyprus in the autumn.

The presidential palace said systematic coordination between governments and ministries gives Cyprus access to expertise, infrastructure and new opportunities for cooperation. It said this strengthens state effectiveness, improves public services and enhances the country’s position nationally.

Areas of cooperation

At the most recent summit, held in Athens in November last year, the two countries agreed to cooperate in education, including through the exchange of knowhow and good practices on linking education to the labour market.

In health, they agreed to work together to strengthen preventive screening programmes and improve the operation of hospitals, particularly accident and emergency units.

The two countries also agreed to take coordinated action to improve road safety and to exchange knowhow on judicial reform and speeding up the administration of justice.

Digital policy and risk management

Cyprus and Greece agreed to cooperate on housing policy and disaster risk assessment, including the use of digital tools for the timely identification, forecasting and mapping of risks from fires, floods, earthquakes and extreme weather events.

On digital policy, they agreed to participate in the transnational artificial intelligence gigafactories initiative and work towards a unified Mediterranean digital governance system.

Cyprus problem

The two sides also issued a joint statement on the Cyprus problem, reaffirming their commitment to efforts to restart talks aimed at reunifying the island on the basis of the agreed framework of relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions.