Caretaker Prime Minister Najib Mikati arrived on Tuesday in Cyprus with an accompanying ministerial delegation to kick off an official visit that’s expected to last for several hours. 

The Lebanese delegation includes Caretaker Ministers of Foreign Affairs Abdallah Bou Habib, Industry George Boujikian, Tourism Walid Nassar, Environment  Nasser Yassin, and Agriculture Abbas Hajj Hassan. Lebanese Ambassador to Cyprus Claude El-Hajal also joined the delegation.

Mikati congratulated Cypriot President, Nikos Christodoulides, on assuming his new responsibilities.

Both men later held a closed meeting, during which they discussed bilateral relations and ways of developing them in all fields. 

The pair then held an expanded meeting over lunch, with the participation of delegations representing both countries.

The meeting reportedly emphasized the depth of bilateral relations between Lebanon and Cyprus. 

For his part, the Cypriot President reaffirmed the European Union’s support for Lebanon in all fields.

He praised the Lebanese presence in Cyprus and the role of the Lebanese in developmental fields. He also affirmed support for the Lebanese position to address the Syrian refugee file in a way that guarantees stability in Lebanon.

In turn, Mikati said, “We are two close countries, and we have many common denominators; we share many many areas of cooperation within the tourism, services, and development sectors.”