Slovak President Ivan Gašparovič Pays Official Visit to Cyprus

From 18 to 20 April 2007 Slovak President Ivan Gašparovic and his wife paid an official visit to Cyprus.

During the visit, the Slovak President held talks with his Cypriot counterpart Tassos Papadopoulos. The Cypriot President thanked Slovakia for the positions it held on all crucial issues and, in particular, for the engagement of Slovak troops in the UNFICYP mission, and asked Ivan Gašparovic for the Slovak Republic to support the further stay of the Slovak contingent in Cyprus.

Discussing bilateral cooperation, both Presidents agreed on the mutual development of economic relations. The Slovak President also met Demetris Christofias, the President of the House of Representatives, and Eleni Mavrou, the Mayor of Nicosia. In the UN buffer zone in Nicosia, the Slovak President met leaders of Greek and Turkish political parties.

Also in Nicosia, the Slovak President opened the Slovak-Cypriot Business Forum and met the President of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Manthos Mavromantis. Ivan Gašparovič visited the UNFICYP mission headquarters in Nicosia, under which 860 troops are deployed, including 196 Slovaks.

According to Ivan Gašparovič, the Slovak troops carry out their tasks and duties within the mission in a very reliable manner. In the southern part of the island, Gašparovic visited the village of Pyla, near Larnaki, where Cypriot Greeks and Turks live together in a mixed community. Pyla is the home base of SLOVCON, the Slovak contingent. The Slovak President paid a personal visit to the PB-126 patrol base.