5th EU Foreign Ministers Meeting
23/01/2008

The InterContinental Aphrodite Hills Resort Hotel had the honor of hosting the 5th Informal Meeting of the Foreign Ministers of Mediterranean EU Member States on January 17-18, 2008.

This informal meeting is convened twice a year, at the beginning of each EU presidency in order to coordinate and strengthen cooperation among the EU Mediterranean countries.

The “Olive Group” meeting, held at a sprawling resort with thousands of olive trees, was chaired by Cyprus Foreign Minister Erato-Kozakou Marcoullis. Meeting participants included Ministers  Dimitrij Rupel of Slovenia, Dora Bakoyiannis of Greece, Massimo D’Alema of Italy, Michael Frendo of Malta, Luis Amado of Portugal, Adrian Cioroianu of Romania and Miguel Angel Moratinos of Spain as well as  the Greek Deputy Minister Ioannis Valinakis, the Under Secretary of State of Italy Famiano Crucianelli, the Deputy Minister of Bulgaria Todor Churov and the Director of European cooperation of France Pierre Menat.

Forum topics entailed regional and international issues such as the Middle East peace process, migration, the Natural Disaster Response Mechanism, Kosovo and the establishment of a Mediterranean Union.

Forum delegates also took pleasure in attending a networking cocktail reception at the InterContinental’s pre foyer, attended by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Tassos Papadopoulos, Ministers and other governmental officials. Several guests expressed their enthusiasm in having stayed ‘in such a great resort’ while some even alluded to it as “Aphrodite’s paradise”. President Papadopoulos stated “I was so proud tonight to have heard so many enthusiastic comments about this wonderful resort!”