In the framework of the visit to Cyprus, the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko met with the President of Cyprus Mr. N. Anastasiades. During the meeting, the sides discussed development prospects of bilateral cooperation.
During its stay, St. Petersburg delegation visited Larnaca, Nicosia, Limassol, Cyprus, and the city of Thessaloniki in Greece.
In the framework of the visit to Cyprus, the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko met with the President of Cyprus Mr. N. Anastasiades. During the meeting, the sides discussed development prospects of bilateral cooperation. According to Georgy Poltavchenko, Russia and Cyprus have common culture, common spiritual values and a strong long-standing friendship. The Governor of St. Petersburg specifically stressed that the ties between Russian Northern Capital and cities and municipalities of Cyprus continue to develop dynamically. Mr. Anastasiades, in turn, said that he was very pleased by the visit of St. Petersburg delegation, and looked forward to the progressive expansion of the mutually beneficial partnership with St. Petersburg in all directions.
In the framework of the conference "St. Petersburg - Cyprus: prospects of cooperation", Georgy Poltavchenko and Limassol Mayor Mr. A. Christou signed a "road map", which is a plan of activities to further deepen the relations of St. Petersburg and Limassol, designed for 2017-2020. On the sidelines of the conference, they signed documents on cooperation with the Limassol in the sphere of water supply and sanitation, as well as additional education.
The conference was a platform for networking and discussions between members of St. Petersburg delegation and potential partners from Cyprus. According to the Governor of St. Petersburg Georgy Poltavchenko, this event is a unique opportunity to discuss the present and future of the partnership between St. Petersburg and Cyprus aimed to flesh out the existing connections, to bring cooperation to a qualitatively new level. "We continue to share experiences in the development of education, medicine, tourism, we implement joint projects in the sphere of energy, as well as strengthen cultural ties. It's a great pleasure for me to note that today, in a troubled moment for Europe, we are among friends who share our moral and spiritual values. I'm convinced that despite the difficult geopolitical situation our cooperation has great prospects", – Georgy Poltavchenko noted.
One of the promising directions, according to the Governor of St. Petersburg, may be the cooperation in the sphere of pharmaceuticals production. "As far as I know, the leading Cypriot companies producing drugs, are showing interest in investing into the establishment of appropriate facilities in St. Petersburg. Pharmaceutical cluster in our city has been actively developing over the past five years, 16 new enterprises were built during this time. Cyprus has developed its unique medical products. We are interested in the experience of other countries and regions. Taking into account the fact that Cyprus is developing this area, we are ready to consider proposals for the construction of Cypriot enterprises on the territory of St. Petersburg".
Within the framework of the Greek part of the visit, the Governor Georgy Poltavchenko had a meeting with Central Macedonia Regional Governor, Mr. A. Dzidzikostas. They discussed cooperation prospects in various sectors of the economy and non-scientific sphere.
St. Petersburg Governor pointed out that 2016 is an intermutual year of Russia and Greece. In two years our countries will celebrate the 190th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations. Mutually beneficial relations become stronger each year, also through the expansion of interregional cooperation and cooperation at the municipal level.
At the conference "St. Petersburg - Central Macedonia: uniting efforts", held in Thessaloniki, Georgy Poltavchenko recalled that the Information and Business Center of St. Petersburg was opened in Alexandroupolis last year. This year, Nevsky district of St. Petersburg entered into a partnership agreement with the city of Kavala. "СThere are more and more agreements each year, which indicates that the Greek colleagues are interested in our city as a partner in a variety of economic and non-scientific projects. Experience of the Northern Capital in solving the problems that are vital to modern cities is also interesting", – Georgy Poltavchenko concluded.
On the sidelines of the conference, Georgy Poltavchenko and A. Dzidzikostas signed the Protocol on the results of negotiations, in which they expressed their intention to contribute to the further promotion of mutually beneficial partnership of our regions in a wide range of areas. "We believe that cooperation at regional level will facilitate the development and strengthening of relations between our countries as a whole", – Georgy Poltavchenko added.
According to A. Dzidzikostos, the Greek party considers cooperation in the sphere of economy, healthcare, tourism, culture and education to be very beneficial (there are 5 universities in Central Macedonia, including the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki, – one of the largest in South Eastern Europe).
An important part of the visit was the opening of the Russian book store in Thessaloniki. «Saint Petesburg and Thessaloniki are twin cities. We have been successfully developing this partnership for over 10 years. Our cities are cultural capitals of Greece and Russia. We have a lot in common. Including the fact that both citizens of Saint Petersburg and Thessaloniki love to read good books», – said G.S. Poltavechenko at the opening ceremony of the Russian bookstore. The Governor of Saint Petersburg specifically mentioned the common spiritual roots of Greece and Russia: «We profoundly respect Greek culture. We remember that Greeks Cyrill and Methodius, who originated from Thessaloniki, gave Russia her alphabet».
During the ceremony, the delegation from St Petersburg presented to the Russian diaspora in Thessaloniki a shipment of educational and fictional books in Russian language.
At the end of his visit to Greece, the Governor of Saint Petersburg took part in the celebrations dedicated to the national holiday of Greece – the Ochi Day. Due to the occasion, Thessaloniki saw a military parade, which was attended by the President of Greece P. Pavlopoulos, representatives of the Ministry of National Defence and leaders of the Armed Forces of the Hellenic Republic.
Georgy Poltavchenko personally congratulated P. Pavlopoulos on the national holiday, wishing the hospitable Greeks peace and prosperity.
Reference:
The national holiday of Greece and Cyprus, the Ochi Day (Greek. «Ochi» – «No») is celebrated on the 28th of October of the rejection of Italy’s ultimatum by the Greek prime minister (in office from the 4th of August 1936 to 29th of January 1941) Ioannis Metaxas on the 28th of October 1940.
«Ochi» – was Metaxas's answer to the demand of letting the Italian military enter the territory of Greece and occupy ports and airfields. This would mean that Greece entered World War II. The decision was supported by the people of Greece, and on 28th of October they went out on the streets while chanting «Ochi».
The events of 1940 are celebrated annually with military and student parades.