President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades and outgoing Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is currently on a private visit to Cyprus, held a meeting earlier, discussing energy cooperation, bilateral relations as well as regional issues. According to Cypriot government spokesperson Nicos Christodoulides,, the talks at the presidential retreat focused on defense, energy, economy and tourism. “There are several issues where we have a common approach, which we plan to further enhance through dialogue. There is a strong political will both on behalf of Nicosia and Jerusalem to strengthen these ties,” Christodoulides highlighted. The bilateral talks are expected to continue at a technocrats level and the Cypriot President is also scheduled to hold an official visit to Israel after Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu forms a new cabinet. Moreover, in an interview to Cypriot Sigma television, the government spokesman said that announcements related to energy, security and other issues of mutual interest, could be made during Anastasiades’ upcoming visit to Israel. At the same time, Christodoulides did not disclose details of what is being discussed. As he explained though, Greece, Cyprus and Israel will press on with broader cooperation efforts, while additional multilateral meetings are expected. It should be noted that Cyprus and Israel are already negotiating a unitisation agreement for joint development and production activity in their offshore gas reservoirs.