Pascal Allizard, Nicos Christodoulides and Irene Charalambides in Nicosia, 11 March 2024NICOSIA, 13 March 2024 – On an official visit to Cyprus, following an invitation by OSCE Parliamentary Assembly Vice-President Irene Charalambides, OSCE PA Special Representative on Mediterranean Affairs Pascal Allizard (France) met this week with the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Christodoulides; the Minister of Defence, Vasilis Palmas; the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry, Giorgos Papanastasiou; the Mayor of Nicosia Constantinos Yiorkadjis and the Ambassador of France to Cyprus, Salina Grenet-Catalano. He was accompanied by Vice-President Charalambides throughout his programme.
In his meeting with President Christodoulides, Allizard exchanged views on the security challenges stemming from the current war in the Middle East as well as the shifting geopolitical balance of power in the Mediterranean. Meeting with Minister Palmas, Allizard discussed the security situation in the Eastern Mediterranean as well as in the broader OSCE area, while with the Minister of Energy, Commerce and Industry he discussed energy security in the Mediterranean.
On Monday, Special Representative Allizard laid a wreath at Tymvos military cemetery, in honour of the victims of the 1974 Turkish invasion. On Tuesday, he met with the Mayor of Nicosia and he was given a guided tour of the Green Line area in the old town on Nicosia, known for its significance as a symbol of the last divided capital in Europe.
Allizard also visited the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Larnaca, which serves as the central hub for “Amaltheia,” the humanitarian aid corridor to Gaza and also as the control centre for co-ordinating responses to distress calls, accidents at sea, and other maritime emergencies. Situated on the southern coast of Cyprus, Larnaca is a strategic location for such operations due to its proximity to major shipping lanes and maritime traffic in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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