National Assembly Speaker Moses Wetang'ula has welcomed the move to reopen the Cyprus embassy in Kenya, saying the decision will strengthen the bilateral ties between the two countries.
Wetang'ula noted that the return of Cyprus to Kenya will also open trade and education opportunities among others.
"The return of Cyprus to Kenya completes the cycle of a relationship that dates back to the 1950s,” he said.
He said the two nations should capitalise on plenty of opportunities available between them for the benefit of their citizens.
The Speaker made the remarks when he hosted the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Savvas Vladimirou, who paid him a courtesy call in his office at Parliament Buildings on Wednesday.
The two agreed on the need to create a Parliamentary friendship group among other initiatives to foster Parliamentary diplomacy and help create a forum for engagement between the Houses of the two nations.
Vladimirou pointed out that Kenya is a gate to East Africa adding that the reopening of their embassy in the country was a boost to Cyprus' presence in Africa.
The reopened embassy is among the three diplomatic missions the country has in Africa besides Egypt and South Africa.
Apart from Kenya they also have a mission in Uganda, Tanzania, Rwanda, Burundi, DRC, UNEP and Habitat.
Cyprus was among the first countries to open a diplomatic mission in Kenya after independence due to the close friendship between Kenya’s first president Mzee Jomo Kenyatta and Cyprus's first president Archbishop Makarios III.
Kenya on the other hand Kenya has plans to open new foreign missions.
The new missions will be based in Djibouti, Bern, Arusha, Goma, Jakarta and Hargeisa (Somaliland).
