On 8 July 2026, the Cyprus Mail reported that Shipping Deputy Minister to the President, Ms. Marina Hadjimanolis, undertook a working visit to London from 6 to 9 July 2026, centred on a reception hosted by the Shipping Deputy Ministry at the headquarters of the International Maritime Organization (IMO), on the sidelines of the Organization's 137th Council session (London, 6–10 July 2026). Further to our Union's last week's report on Cyprus's recently completed six-month Presidency of the Council of the European Union, the Deputy Minister used the occasion to underline the country's standing as one of the world's leading maritime nations.
The reception was attended by IMO Secretary-General, Mr. Arsenio Dominguez, and representatives of IMO member States. Speaking to the Cyprus News Agency (CNA), Ms. Hadjimanolis said the event "was an opportunity to highlight the essential role of Cyprus in the international maritime community."
In her reception speech of 7 July 2026, the Deputy Minister placed particular and unwavering emphasis on the human element of shipping and noted that securing re-election in Category C of the IMO Council this coming November remains a key national priority. She also paid tribute to Mr Spyros Miltiades, Deputy High Commissioner of Cyprus in the United Kingdom and Alternate Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the IMO.
On the sidelines of the Council, Ms. Hadjimanolis held a bilateral meeting with the President of Saudi Arabia's Transport General Authority, H.E. Eng. Fawaz Al-Sahli, discussing shipping competitiveness, the green transition, maritime safety and protection of the marine environment, with a view to the early finalisation and signing of a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) on maritime cooperation between the two countries. This visit is a further demonstration of the active maritime diplomacy through which the Cyprus administration continues to strengthen the flag's international profile.