Cyprus has pledged to finance the reforestation efforts on the Greek island of Rhodes, which suffered devastating wildfires recently. President Nikos Christodoulides made this commitment on Monday after meeting with Greek PM Kyriakos Mitsotakis, who visited Nicosia following his re-election in June.
The Cypriot President revealed that there is significant interest from private individuals and companies willing to contribute to the reforestation initiative on Rhodes. The wildfires, which lasted for ten consecutive days, caused immense damage to the island’s virgin forest and resulted in the evacuation of numerous tourists.
The state of emergency declared on Rhodes on July 20 in response to the destructive wildfires was lifted on Saturday, as announced by the Ministry of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection. Residents and visitors were allowed to safely return to their places of residence.
During their meeting, Christodoulides and Mitsotakis emphasized the need for further cooperation between Cyprus and Greece. The two leaders expressed their commitment to strengthening the excellent relationship between the two countries and establishing a solid institutional framework for their collaboration.
“We will also announce some concrete decisions, actions that will prove our strong conviction for further cooperation,” Christodoulides said.
“I am sure that our excellent cooperation will continue and will be strengthened even more today,” Christodoulides added.
The presence of Greek PM Mitsotakis in Cyprus holds symbolic importance, given the current challenges and opportunities faced by both governments. Hence, the Cypriot President expressed his wish “to work with all our neighbors without excluding anyone at all, as long as we work with a positive approach and always with respect for international law.”
Ν. Χριστοδουλίδης: Η Κύπρος θα αναλάβει το κόστος αναδάσωσης των περιοχών που κάηκαν στη Ρόδοhttps://t.co/D7JA9LhGjI pic.twitter.com/JnbPvrcnaz
— ΕΛΛΑΔΑ 24 (@ellada24) July 31, 2023
Mitsotakis thanked Christodoulides for the warm welcome, acknowledging that the “cooperation between the two governments is excellent” and emphasized on the need to “build an even more institutionally solid framework” for how the two countries work together.
“I regret that I had to postpone this trip for a few days as we had to face very difficult situations at home with the fires we had to manage last week,” Mitsotakis said
“It is not just my obligation, but I would say a practical recognition of this unique relationship between Greece and Cyprus, the fact that the first official bilateral trip of the new Greek prime minister always takes place here in Cyprus,” the Greek PM added.
