President to undertake State Visit to Cyprus
Date: Mon 7th Oct, 2019 | 17:38
At the invitation of President Nicos Anastasiades, President Michael D. Higgins will undertake a State Visit to the Republic of Cyprus, from 13 to 16 October 2019.
The State Visit to Cyprus will follow on from the President’s visit to Greece (9-13 October) where President Higgins will have meetings with 12 other EU Heads of State and deliver the distinguished Aristotle Address.
President Higgins will undertake the first State Visit to Cyprus by a President of Ireland since 2006. The President and Sabina Higgins will be accompanied on the visit by the Minister for Justice and Equality, Charles Flanagan.
The programme of the State Visit, which comes after President Anastasiades’ State Visit to Ireland in 2016, will include a ceremonial welcome and formal meetings between the two Heads of State, visits to the UN Buffer Zone on the island, and meetings with the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and the Committee on Missing Persons. President Higgins will also deliver an address to the Cypriot House of Representatives.
The State Visit provides a timely opportunity to renew the longstanding bonds of friendship and solidarity between Ireland and Cyprus and to recognise Ireland’s UN peacekeeping contribution in Cyprus over many decades. Developing cultural and marine links will be highlighted, and President Higgins will take the opportunity to meet the resident Irish community.
Upon conclusion of the State Visit to Cyprus, President Higgins will travel to Lebanon, for meetings with President Michel Aoun, meetings with Lebanese politicians and UN agencies, as well as a visit to Irish troops and Irish NGOs working in the country.