Palestinian President Abbas to visit Cyprus for talks — Cyprus Mail

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas will visit Cyprus on Thursday, October 29, and hold talks with the country’s president, Nikos Christodoulides. Cyprus Mail reports that the sides will discuss bilateral relations, the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip, and developments in the West Bank and East Jerusalem.

Visit programme

According to the publication, Abbas will arrive at the presidential palace, where he will first meet Christodoulides one-on-one. The presidents will then hold a working lunch.

More current news is available on the UA.News Telegram channel Telegram.

Cyprus’ relations with Palestine

Cyprus recognised the State of Palestine immediately after its declaration in 1988. During Abbas’ previous visit in June 2022, then-President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades stated that the country’s close relations with Israel should not harm the legitimate rights of Palestinians.

In 2023, Christodoulides visited Ramallah and laid a wreath at Yasser Arafat’s grave. In March 2024, the first vessel carrying humanitarian aid for Gaza departed from a Cypriot port. Abbas has headed the Palestinian Authority since 2005; it is dominated by the Fatah movement and administers parts of the West Bank.