Twenty years after Cyprus joined the European Union and 50 years after the division of the island, this trip to the country in the eastern Mediterranean also payed tribute to the close partnership with an EU member state contending with a unique political and geographical situation.
During his visit, the Federal President held political talks with President Nikos Christodoulides and Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus, on 12 February. Thereafter, the Federal President attended a luncheon with business people hosted by the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, after which a visit to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP) took place. UNFICYP has been stationed on the island for 60 years and secures the buffer zone between the two parts of the country.
Later on during the visit, the focus on 13 February was on cooperation on migration issues as well as in the area of culture and education.
Overview of the programme
Sunday, 11 February 2024
- Afternoon
Flight to Larnaka, Cyprus - Evening
Arrival in Larnaka and welcome
Monday, 12 February 2024
- 9.00 a.m. [CET +1], Presidential Palace
Welcome with military honours - 9.15 a.m.
Talks with President Nikos Christodoulides - 10.30 a.m.
Joint press conference - Thereafter, Nicosia Town Hall
Talks with Mayor Constantinos Yiorkadjis on the special location and situation of Nicosia - Thereafter
Walk to the Green Line in the Old Town together with President Christodoulides and Mayor Yiorkadjis - Lunchtime
Luncheon hosted by Stavros Stavrou, President of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry - Afternoon, Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus
Discussion with members of the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus followed by a visit to the Anthropological Laboratory - Thereafter, UNFICYP headquarters
Discussion with members of UNFICYP (United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus) and the Good Offices mission - Thereafter, Home for Cooperation
Discussion with young adults about the civil society project Imagine - Thereafter, Goethe-Institut Cyprus
Discussion on the topic of education and scholarship programmes - 6.00 p.m., House of Representatives
Talks with Annita Demetriou, President of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus - 8.00 p.m., Presidential Palace
Dinner in honour of the Federal President hosted by President Christodoulides
Tuesday, 13 February 2024
- Morning, Archbishop Makarios III Lyceum
Attendance of a German lesson at the pilot project school for German as a foreign language - Thereafter, Kofinou
Visit to the Kofinou Reception and Accommodation Center for Applications for International Protection - Thereafter, Pano Lefkara
Visit to the village with tour of the church and the Local Museum of Traditional Embroidery and Silversmith-work - Thereafter, Kato Drys
Luncheon hosted by the President of Cyprus - Afternoon
Flight to Berlin
