Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister Murat Nurtileu met with President Nikos Christodoulides as part of his official visit to Cyprus, marking his first visit to the region.
Reports indicate that Türkiye was displeased with Nurtileu’s visit, allegedly delaying the arrival by not permitting the Kazakhstan state plane to pass through Turkish airspace, forcing Nurtileu to travel via a private airline.
Türkiye is also said to have informed Kazakh authorities of the cancellation of Nurtileu’s visit to Ankara.
However, on arrival in Nicosia, Christodoulides described Nurtileu’s visit as “historic” and recalled his own visit to Kazakhstan as foreign minister, during which a double taxation avoidance agreement was signed between the two countries.
Christodoulides expressed readiness to strengthen relations with Kazakhstan and highlighted the potential for establishing direct flights to support this goal.
Earlier, Nurtileu met Foreign Minister Konstantinos Kombos.