The President of the Famagusta Chamber of Commerce and Industry, Mr. Charalambos Manoli, on behalf of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI), welcomed the highly successful and first Cyprus-Japan Business Forum which took place on 9 April 2024 in Tokyo, Japan.
In his opening remarks, Mr. Charalambos Manoli disclosed that “Cyprus and Japan share a rich history of diplomatic relations, characterised by mutual respect, friendship and commitment to global cooperation” and that “there is a huge pool of opportunities that are expected to be tapped”. He then expressed the view that given Japan’s importance on the international economic scene, coupled with the advantages that Cyprus offers in many economic sectors, the Forum would offer “the opportunity to identify new areas of common interest of mutual benefit to both countries”. He later referred to the various areas in which cooperation between the two countries can be established.
The Forum was jointly organised by the Ministry of Energy, Trade and Industry (MoEIC) of Cyprus, KEBE and the Cyprus Trade Centre in Japan. As the head of the business delegation from Cyprus, the Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. George Papanastasiou, was the keynote speaker of the Forum, presenting, among other things, the advantages of Cyprus as an international business centre.
During the Forum, which was attended by more than 120 participants (government officials, businessmen, representatives of research centres and journalists), Cypriot companies participated in technology and shipping panels, highlighting their technological solutions in biotechnology, space and maritime security, as well as their know-how, expertise in ship management and the uniqueness of Cyprus to offer technologically advanced solutions, penetrating the single market. After the Forum, Cypriot companies participated in scheduled B2B meetings with Japanese companies, strengthening bilateral business relations.
The Forum was held as part of efforts to enhance the extroversion of Cypriot service companies and to further develop Cyprus’ bilateral economic and business relations.
