2023 Doing Business in Cyprus (UK Edition)

DOING BUSINESS C YPRUS
41
UNITED KINGDOM EDITION
How would you describe the current bilateral
relations between the UK and Cyprus?
The relationship between the UK and Cyprus has always been a very rich and active
one. It is founded on historic links, strong people-to-people connections, an
exceptionally effective government-to-government cooperation, as well as flourishing
business and trade ties.
Working together on issues of common interest and mutual benefit has been a
priority for both countries. This is demonstrated through a number of activities, for
example our joint commitment to defence with visits by the Royal Navy’s flagships
Queen Elizabeth and HMS Albion, and joint exercises with the Cypriot National Guard.
We also have shared values on human rights, in particular we signed a Memorandum of
Understanding to work together to protect LGBT+ rights last year. And we are working
together closely on specific issues such as support for victims of rape and sexual
assault through training visits by professionals from the UK. But there is more we can
do together to benefit both our countries – particularly in the fight against climate
change, security, and trade.
What significant key projects are there between the UK
and Cyprus at the moment, and what kind of projects or
cooperation would you like to see developed in the future?
A
s mentioned, the collaboration between our two countries covers all sectors
and activities of common interest. This is reflected in the memorandum of
understanding signed just a year ago between the UK and Cyprus. Through this
agreement we enhance our bilateral collaboration in matters of foreign policy and
security as well as economic, trading, and educational activities between the UK and
Cyprus. There is currently close collaboration in implementation of the sanctions
against Russia, the UK government is providing support to Cyprus in its effort to improve
its sanctions enforcement capacity and capability. There is similar collaboration in
projects such as justice reform and the e-government project managed by the Deputy
Ministry of Research, Innovation and Digital Strategy. We are also working with the
Deputy Ministry for Shipping to take forward priorities such as green shipping. These
and other sectors such as green energy, smart cities, health, and education are areas
where there is a lot more work to be done in both countries and we are looking forward
to working together to achieve positive results.