House President Annita Demetriou said on Tuesday there was “a great momentum” in relations between Cyprus and Armenia.

“Cyprus will continue to stand by Armenia and its people, on the basis of common principles, as well as the historical bonds of friendship between the two countries,” Demetriou said after the final meeting of her three-day trip there.

At a meeting with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturyan, Demetriou expressed Cyprus’ “deep appreciation” of the Armenian support regarding the Cyprus problem and expressed Cyprus’ support for Armenia’s efforts for a peace agreement with Azerbaijan.

Kachaturyan emphasised shared values with Europe and strong, historic ties with Cyprus based on “trust and solidarity”.

“Armenia has the same principles and values as Europe,” he added.  

“In a time of increasing instability, the further strengthening of the excellent relations of friendship and cooperation between Cyprus and Armenia becomes even more necessary,” Demetriou said after meeting Armenian Prime Minister and President of the Parliament Nikol Pashinyan.

During her meeting with Pashinyan, Demetriou also brought up the upcoming talks on the Cyprus issue in Geneva this July, stressing that peace and security could only be achieved through dialogue based on universal principles.

Demetriou left for Armenia on Sunday.

As part of her visit, she also held meetings with several Armenian officials including the head of the Armenia-Cyprus interparliamentary committee and her Armenian counterpart Alen Simonyan, who had initiated Demetriou’s visit.

She also visited the Aragatsotn province, whereCyprus-funded greenhouses employing refugees from Nagorno-Karabakhare located and visited the Tsitsernakaberd memorial to pay tribute to the victims of the Armenian genocide.