YEREVAN, JULY 7, NOYAN TAPAN - ARMENIANS TODAY. Armenia and Cyprus overcame common ordeals, which today creates a basis for strong friendship, mutual respect and trust. RA President Serzh Sargsyan said this at the joint press conference which took place within the framework of the President of Cyprian Republic Dimitris Christofias' two-day state visit to Armenia. He said that a constructive discussion of perspectives and today's situation of Armenian-Cypriot relations were discussed in an atmosphere of mutual understanding and opinions were exchanged around different problems of mutual interest. The sides recorded that the views concerning bilateral, regional and international problems coincided. The promotion of political dialogue, the strengthening of inter-governmental relations, the exchange of opinions around international problems are the important elements of partner relations of two countries, Serzh Sargsyan noted stressing that it is necessary to take steps towards making active the trade-economic contacts between two countries. In this sense the RA President attached importance to the activity of the Armenian-Cypriot Inter-governmental Commission because the expectations from its first sitting are great. He also attached importance to the activization the contacts between the businessmen. According to Serzh Sargsyan, the cooperation of two countries is also important in the context of Armenia-European Union relations. According to the joint declaration adopted by two countries' Presidents, Armenia and Cyprus support each other in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement and the resolution of the problem of Cyprus. Dimitris Christofias noted that the two countries speak about the international problems in the common language. The Republic of Cyprus supports Armenia in the Nagorno Karabakh settlement within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, on the basis of the international law norms. He underlined that two countries' relations are based on the centuries-old friendship. "the two nations were in the same pan." Cyprus received the survivors of Armenian Genocide with open arms, who became the citizens of Cyprus and kept their identity. The bilateral relations are close, cordial and high-level, but in the economic, cultural and tourist spheres there are some omissions and they need attention. Cyprus supports Armenia in the EU Eastern Partnership program. "Armenia can see Cyprus as a friend, a relative and an envoy in the EU," he said. Cyprus is willing to support Armenia in its political, cultural, economic dialogues with the structures of the EU, as well as to share its experience as a country which has passed that way. The President of Cyprus also said that he invited his Armenian colleague to pay a return visit to Cyprus.

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