Shipping minister promotes Cyprus as ‘strategic bridge’ for EU

Shipping Deputy Minister Marina Hadjimanolis carried out a working visit to Athens and Alexandria between February 4 and 9, as part of broader efforts to bolster the island’s maritime diplomacy in the region.

According to a statement from the ministry released on Monday, the visit combined policy dialogue on decarbonisation with regional cooperation meetings ahead of the island’s EU Council Presidency priorities.

In Athens, Hadjimanolis took part in the 16th Capital Link Greek Shipping Forum, joining a ministerial round table alongside Greece’s shipping minister Vasilis Kikilias, Malta’s transport minister Chris Bonett and US deputy assistant secretary of transportation Marco Sylvester.

On the sidelines, the ministers also met separately, where they discussed sector concerns and current developments surrounding shipping decarbonisation.

Meanwhile, during her stay in the Greek capital she addressed the graduation ceremony of the Mediterranean Maritime Academy.

She congratulated the new masters and engineers and referred to their “important and meaningful choice” to pursue a maritime career at a time of global seafarer shortages.

She then travelled to Alexandria on February 7 as guest of Egypt’s transport minister, delivering the keynote speech at the 15th International Maritime Transport & Logistics Conference (MARLOG-15).

Notably, she was the only representative from an EU member state, reflecting the Cyprus-Egypt relationship and the Republic’s regional role.

In her address she said the green and digital transition of shipping cannot be achieved without the human factor, stressing the decisive role of seafarers.

She also emphasised the need for continuous investment in education, skills upgrading and protection, noting that seafarers stand at the centre of the Cyprus Presidency priorities in maritime transport.

At the same time, she explained that Cyprus will use the EU Council Presidency to act as a strategic bridge between the European Union and regional countries, promoting strategic partnerships.

Alongside the conference, Hadjimanolis inaugurated the maritime exhibition MarTech 2026 together with the transport ministers of Egypt and Jordan and the president of the Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport.

She also held bilateral meetings, first with Egyptian transport minister Lt Gen Kamel Abdel Hady Al-Wazir, where both sides reviewed the outcomes of the first Cyprus-Egypt Joint Maritime Committee held in Limassol last October and confirmed Egypt will host the second meeting in 2026.

Another meeting followed with Jordan’s transport minister Prof Nidhal M. Al-Qatamin, focusing on deepening cooperation under the bilateral maritime agreement, while a separate discussion with Arab Academy president Ismail Abdel Ghafar Ismail Farag touched on training and maritime profession initiatives linked to the Cyprus Presidency.

Throughout the visit she was accompanied by Cyprus’ ambassador to Egypt Poly Ioannou.