ATHENS (Pakistan Point News / Sputnik - 09th August, 2023) Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee Robert Menendez will visit Cyprus on August 24 to address the World Conference of the Diaspora Cypriots in Nicosia, the Service for Overseas and Repatriated Cypriots said on Wednesday.
"This is an extremely important event as Senator Menendez will address, for the first time in the history of our expatriate convention, our meeting on Thursday, August 24," the service said in a statement.
The conference is set to take place at the University of Nicosia from August 22-25.
Cyprus and the United States have significantly strengthened their relations in recent years. President of Cyprus Nikos Christodoulides, elected in February, advocates a pro-Western course for the country and its rapprochement with the US. Senator Menendez, who actively supports Greece and Cyprus, was one of the first to congratulate Christodoulides on his election as president.
In 2019, Menendez, along with Republican Senator Marco Rubio, drafted a bill aimed at changing the US strategy in the Eastern Mediterranean to reflect changes in the region. The bill provides for strengthening relations with Greece and Cyprus. In 2021, Menendez was awarded the highest state award of Cyprus, the Grand Cross of the Order of Archbishop Makarios III.
