The reception was inaugurated with national anthems of Ukraine and Cyprus following with the speeches of His Excellency Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Savvas Angelides and His Excellency Ambassador of Ukraine Mr. Borys Humeniuk.

In his speech Ambassador of Ukraine stressed on the history of the struggle of Ukrainian people for self-determination and independence, the celebration during 2018 of the 100th anniversary of the Ukrainian revolution, the formation of an independent Ukrainian State and the achievements of Ukraine during the years of independence. He also drew attention to the continuing aggression of Russia against our state and Ukraine's commitment to a peaceful settlement of the situation in Donbas caused by Russian hostilities. Ambassador also positively characterized the development of Ukrainian-Cypriot cooperation and friendly relations between the two peoples and confirmed the support of Ukraine for an efficient and quick solution of the Cyprus issue for the benefit of the Cypriot people.

Minister of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus Mr. Savvas Angelides stressed that official Nicosia continues to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine and supports European integration of Ukraine and re-rapprochement of Ukraine to the EU. He also noted that the Republic of Cyprus is interested in continuation of mutually beneficial cooperation with Ukraine.

During the event, the Ukrainian ensemble of the National Musical Theater of the young actor “FantaziaNew”, which came from Kyiv at the invitation of the Embassy, performed a unique program representing Ukrainian traditional and contemporary songs and dances.

During the reception, guests of the event had the opportunity to enjoy the exhibition of works by Ukrainian artist, who permanently resides in Cyprus Mrs. Olexandra Papaphotiou.