President welcomes diaspora youth to Cyprus

President Nikos Christodoulides welcomed children of the Greek diaspora from the US and Canada at the presidential palace on Tuesday.

Welcoming the children, who were aged 14 to 17, Christodoulides said that “we are very happy to have you here” and urged them to take advantage of every moment of their trip.

He asked the children where they came from and about the purpose of their visit. The children responded that they wanted to learn more about their place of origin, the history of Cyprus and the culture, and to make Cypriot friends.

Christodoulides guided the group through his office and the room for the council of ministers and spoke about the history of the presidential palace. He also showed them the door though which Archbishop Makarios III escaped the 1974 military coup, as well as the bullet marks from the coup at the entrance to the palace. 

The children’s programme, which runs in Cyprus for one week, includes a visit to the house of representatives, a meeting with Archbishop Georgios, and visits to Larnaca, Paphos, Kakopetria, and Omodos, among other sites.