12 June 2014 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Albert F. del Rosario, on behalf of the the Philippine Government, signed on June 11 the Philippines-Cyprus Memorandum of Understanding on Political Consultations.
Non-resident Ambassador Pantelakis Eliades of Cyprus signed for his government.
Ambassador Eliades, who is based in Nicosia, Cyprus, had just presented his credentials to President Aquino as non-resident Ambassador to the Philippines in a ceremony on June 10 at Malacañan Palace.
At the end of today’s signing ceremony held at the Department of Foreign Affairs, Secretary Del Rosario offered a toast and emphasized that “This MOU will help guide the direction of our bilateral relations and provide a mechanism for strengthening as well as reviewing the same. This is, in fact, a good first day for us to start commemorative activities for the 35th anniversary of the establishment of our bilateral relations in 2015.”
The Philippines and Cyprus established diplomatic relations on 6 March 1980. The Philippine Embassy in Athens, Greece has administrative jurisdiction over Philippine interests in Cyprus. END