Cyprus Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis has wrapped up a visit to the United Kingdom, where she met with British officials and international maritime representatives in London.

The meetings allowed participants to discuss Cyprus’ national shipping policy, as well as the country’s priorities during its presidency of the Council of the EU.

The three-day working visit came shortly after Cyprus’ re-election to the Council of the International Maritime Organisation (IMO) and was shaped by a clear focus on reinforcing cooperation, both bilaterally and at multilateral level, while keeping Cyprus closely engaged with the global shipping community.

In this context, Hadjimanolis met her British counterpart, Keir Mather, initially presenting the priorities of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union.

From there, the discussion moved to the strengthening of Cyprus–UK relations, while particular reference was also made to progress in implementing the Memorandum of Cooperation (MoU) between the two countries.

At the same time, the Deputy Minister held talks with IMO Secretary-General Arsenio Dominguez.

The meeting centred on “issues related to the Organisation and the challenges facing shipping at a global level”.

Hadjimanolis also told the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) that attention was also given to how Cyprus’ cooperation with the IMO could be further strengthened over the next six months, especially in view of the island assuming the Presidency of the Council of the EU.

Against this backdrop, Hadjimanolis hosted a reception at the High Commission of Cyprus in London, bringing together representatives of the international shipping industry.

The aim, she explained to the CNA, was “to thank all the member countries of the IMO that in November honoured Cyprus with their vote and re-elected it to the Council of the Organisation, in particular in the highly honorable 7th place”.

Alongside these engagements, she also held a series of meetings with representatives of shipping companies, with the focus placed on strengthening cooperation and, more broadly, on further promoting the Cyprus ship registry.

Finally, rounding off her London programme, the Deputy Minister gave a full-length interview to London Greek Radio (LGR), with the emphasis placed on strengthening ties with the Greek Cypriot community in the United Kingdom, while at the same time promoting Cypriot shipping.