The two men met last Friday while Anastasiades was on a private visit to the 115-island country.

President James Michel said the two countries shared strong historical links.

“We greatly value our historical bond through Archbishop Makarios and appreciate the many years of friendship we have enjoyed, and which we still enjoy,” he said. “Archbishop Makarios is part of the history of Seychelles. He loved Seychelles and the people whilst he was here.”

Believing he was deeply involved in the EOKA struggle for union with Greece, Cyprus’ colonial rulers Britain exiled Makarios to the Seychelles in March 1956.

He was released from exile a year later and ended up in Greece since he was still forbidden to return to Cyprus.

President Michel said that Seychelles and Cyprus, as two island maritime nations, both give a lot of importance to the development of maritime resources and tourism.

The two presidents discussed ways to strengthen tourism, trade, and investment partnerships, which will boost exchanges between the two countries.

The two countries already have in place a Joint Seychelles-Cyprus Commission with the aim of strengthening of bilateral relations in various areas.

“We have had the opportunity to work very closely with Cyprus at the multilateral level mainly through the EU, the Commonwealth and the United Nations. In all these fora, we have appreciated the support of Cyprus on SIDS issues, including the ‘blue economy’ and climate change,” Michel said.

Source: Cyprus Mail