Cyprus will be ready to join Schengen Area this year, president says

Cyprus will resoluteness each technical issues required to articulation the Schengen Area by 2025, President Nikos Christodoulides said connected Friday. 

Speaking astatine the “Beyond Sea and Sun” tourism league organized by Hermes Airports successful Nicosia, helium said Cyprus and Ireland are the lone EU subordinate states that are still the Schengen area, and its inclusion will beryllium bully for tourism and investments. 

“We person addressed each governmental concerns regarding the ceasefire enactment and are present working retired the technical details required for accession,” helium told Tom Ellis, exertion successful main astatine Kathimerini English Edition, adding that a dedicated team astatine the overseas ministry is overseeing this process.

Christodoulides besides announced that the state is successful the last stages of lifting the US visa request for Cypriot travellers. A US delegation is expected to visit Cyprus soon, with announcements forthcoming.

He besides said that tourism is affected by policies that mostly interest the economy, employment, acquisition and culture.

“I see it important to person strong relations with each neighboring states [which] are a source of tourism,” helium said mentioning Israel, noting nevertheless that there was a occupation with tourists from Israel who landed successful Larnaca and then travelled to the Turkish-occupied bluish portion o the island.

“Through our governmental relations we managed to importantly trim the travel to the occupied territories,” helium told the conference.