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n amazing and rewarding “China-Cyprus Youth Forum”, the first of its kind, took place at the European University Cyprus. This inspiring “Youth Forum” was initiated by the Embassy of China in Cyprus as this year marks the 50th anniversary of the establishment of China-Cyprus diplomatic relations.
The Forum was co-hosted by the European University Cyprus, the China Foreign Affairs University, the Embassy of Cyprus in China, the Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries, the Cyprus-China Friendship Association, the China Global Television Network (CGTN), and the Cyprus Broadcasting Corporation (CyBC).
Chinese Ambassador Mr. Liu Yantao delivered a keynote speech, at the presence of the Minister of Education, Culture, Sport and Youth of Cyprus Mr. Prodromos Prodromou, the Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Mr. Jiang Jiang and Ambassador of Cyprus to China Mr. Antonis Toumazis, who have all of them have addressed the Forum.
CGTN and CyBC co-anchored the forum, while youth representatives from political parties, universities, think tanks, and technology as well as telecommunications corporations of the two countries have participated in the panel discussions.
In his keynote speech, Ambassador Liu has underlined the fact that the current world faces significant changes and major adjustments. He pointed out that dialogue and mutual learning among civilizations should be strengthened at such a time and, thus, the China-Cyprus Youth Forum engages significantly in in-depth exchanges on the future of digital connectivity, the future of health cooperation, and the future of civilizational dialogue, which bear great and far-reaching significance. According to Ambassador Liu, the Forum helps to further enhance friendship between China and Cyprus by both promoting a common future and development and by strengthening cooperation between China and the EU.
Special emphasis is paid by the Minister of Education Pr. Prodromou to the long history of exchanges between Cyprus and China and the close cooperation in the fields of culture, education, sports, and youth. Mr. Prodromou has underlined the fact that “Cyprus has been participating in the joint building of the “Belt and Road” initiative, and has signed a memorandum of understanding on cooperation with China in this regard. It stands ready to play an active role in the interconnection of the three continents of Europe, Asia and Africa. The government of Cyprus works closely with the Embassy of China in Cyprus to promote the Chinese language and culture in Cyprus”.
The Vice President of Chinese People’s Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries Mr. Jiang Jiang gave a vivid speech on “what is civilization”, “when and where did civilization begin”, and “where is civilization headed”, emphasizing how the development of civilization is critical to the future and destiny of humankind, and the need of the youth of the two countries to think seriously about their outlook on civilization and the relationship between different civilizations.
Overall, during the Forum the youth representatives from China and Cyprus had in-depth, friendly and enthusiastic discussions under the three topics, namely digital connectivity, health cooperation, and civilizational dialogue.
