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| US Vice President Pence |
CNA News Service
President Nicos Anastasiades will meet next week with US Vice President Mike Pence. According to well-informed sources in Washington, the meeting will take place on Thursday, June 8, at 2pm local time (6pm GMT).
Last February, the president accepted an invitation to address the American Jewish Committee’s Global Forum, on June 5. At the same time, Nicosia sought to arrange a meeting between Anastasiades and President Donald Trump, as well as with Pence. The last time a
President from Cyprus visited the White House was in 1996.
CNA said a meeting with Trump should not be ruled out while another possibility is that the US President will briefly attend the Anastasiades – Pence meeting.
The president is due to arrives on Monday in Washington and will address the AJC later in the day. He will also attend the 33d conference of the International Coordinating Committee “Justice For Cyprus” (PSEKA) to be honoured by its members during a dinner on Wednesday evening.
Reince Priebus, the White House Chief of Staff, and Sylvia Mathews Burwell, American University President and former Secretary of Health, will be also honoured during the same dinner.
According to the president’s schedule, between June 5 and 9, 2017, Anastasiades will also meet with the leadership of energy giant Exxon, he will address the German Marshal Fund and will have contacts with the leadership of the House Foreign Affairs Committee and with the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC).
Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Energy Minister Yiorgos Lakkotrypis, Government Spokesman Nikos Christodoulides and Presidential Commissioner Photis Photiou will also be in Washington, along with Averof Neophytou, the President of Democratic Rally. Some of them will address the PSEKA conference.
Lakkotrypis will attend a round table discussion at the Atlantic Council and Kasoulides will speak at the Institute for Near East Policy. Moreover, the energy minister will have contacts with officials from the us department of energy, while the government spokesman will conduct meetings at the State Department.
The US Ambassador in Cyprus, Kathleen Ann Doherty, will also be in Washington and will address the PSEKA conference on Tuesday. She is also expected to attend the meeting between Anastasiades and Pence on Thursday.
