(Communicated by the Foreign Minister's Bureau)
The Foreign Minister of Cyprus, Mrs. Erato Kozakou-Markoullis, arrived in Israel yesterday (3 December 2007) for an official two-day visit.
FM Erato Kozakou-Markoullis was recently appointed to her position of foreign minister after many years of service as a diplomat in the Middle East. This is the her first visit to Israel.
During her visit, FM Kozakou-Markoullis will meet with President Shimon Peres, FM Tzipi Livni and with opposition leader Benjamin Netanyahu. FM Kozakou-Markoullis will also meet with representatives of the Israel-Cyprus Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Society in the Knesset, headed by MK Galanti (Gil).
The main purpose of FM Kozakou-Markoullis' visit to Israel is to receive a briefing on developments in the political process resulting from the Annapolis Conference, to which Cyprus was not invited.