State visit to Cyprus – programme
His Majesty King Willem-Alexander and Her Majesty Queen Máxima are to pay a state visit to Cyprus, at the invitation of President Nikos Christodoulides. The visit will take place on Tuesday 4 March and Wednesday 5 March 2025. The King and Queen Máxima will be accompanied by *Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp.
Update 3/3/2025: *Minister of Education, Culture and Science Eppo Bruins will now be accompanying Their Majesties on this visit, instead of Minister of Foreign Affairs Caspar Veldkamp.
The state visit is a confirmation of the good relationship between our two countries. It will focus in particular on cooperation in the areas of security, academia, culture and sustainability.
The Netherlands and Cyprus have been closely united at European Union level for more than 20 years. Located in the Mediterranean, the island of Cyprus is a strategic bridge between the EU and the Middle East/North Africa, and on multiple occasions it has proven to be a key partner in the evacuation of Dutch nationals from that region. Cooperation between the Netherlands and Cyprus contributes to a safe, stable and sustainable Europe.
Monday 3 March
Evening
Arrival
The King and Queen Máxima will arrive at Larnaca International Airport on Monday evening, 3 March.
Tuesday 4 March
Morning
Welcome ceremony and laying of a wreath
The King and Queen Máxima will start their state visit at the Presidential Palace in Nicosia. President Nikos Christodoulides and his wife Philippa Karsera will receive the royal couple at a welcome ceremony. After the national anthems are played, the heads of state will inspect the guard of honour. The delegates of the two countries will also be introduced. The King and Queen Máxima will then lay a wreath at the statue of the first president of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios III.
In the Presidential Palace a meeting will take place between the president and his wife and the royal couple.
Delegation meetings
Talks will then be held between the delegations, led by the president and Minister Veldkamp. The King will take part in the talks as well.
Statement to the press
The King and the president will make a brief statement to the press.
Visit to the House of Representatives
The King and Queen Máxima will visit the House of Representatives of Cyprus. They will meet with the President of the House Annita Demetriou and sign the visitors’ book in the assembly hall.
Afternoon
Security cooperation: Joint Rescue Coordination Center/Zenon Center
In the afternoon, the King and Queen Máxima will visit the Joint Rescue Coordination Center (JRCC) and the Zenon Center in Larnaca. This is the nerve centre for international cooperation on evacuation operations in Cyprus. The country’s strategic location makes Cyprus a logical first evacuation point for civilians in the event of crises in the region. During the evacuations from Lebanon in 2006 and Sudan in 2023, the Netherlands made grateful use of Cyprus’s hospitality in bringing Dutch nationals to safety. In 2024, too, a number of Dutch nationals were repatriated from Lebanon via Cyprus. In order to be prepared for crises in the region, Cyprus stages an annual exercise (known as ‘Argonaut’), in which the Netherlands and other countries from within and outside the EU come together to practise the deployment of both civilian and military capabilities that would be required during an evacuation.
The King and Queen Máxima will be given a tour of the JRCC and the Zenon Center, where they will speak with staff about what actions are taken to address crises when they arise in the region.
Sun Potatoes
The visit to Sun Potatoes will spotlight resilient farming. Water scarcity and increasing soil salinity are a problem in Cyprus. Seed potato company HZPC from Joure (in the Dutch province of Friesland) provides Sun Potatoes with a variety of seed potato that thrives in the dry soil of the southeastern coast of Cyprus. The King and Queen Máxima will visit the potato fields, which will soon be harvested. They will also visit the potato-packing facility where. they will speak with a new generation of farmers and experts from research institutes about innovative cultivation techniques.
Evening
State banquet
In the evening, President Christodoulides will host a state banquet at the Presidential Palace. Both heads of state will give a speech.
Wednesday 5 March
Morning
Nicosia Old Town
On the second day of the state visit the mayor of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos, will welcome the King and Queen Máxima to the new city hall. Accompanied by the president they will visit the building’s rooftop terrace, which offers a view of the old town and the UN buffer zone that separates the south from the north of the island. The party will then take a stroll through the old town of Nicosia, discussing renovation and urban development.
Meeting Cypriot alumni of Dutch universities
The Dutch embassy maintains a network of Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot alumni of Dutch universities. The royal couple will speak to the former students about their time in the Netherlands, what they have taken back to Cyprus from their studies and how they envision the island’s future. The meeting will take place at the Home for Cooperation, which is located in the buffer zone.
Choirokoitia archaeological site
For many years Leiden University has collaborated with Cyprus on archaeology and cultural heritage. The King and Queen Máxima will visit Choirokoitia, a Neolithic settlement, which consists of not only archaeological excavations but also a number of reconstructed cylindrical dwellings characteristic of the time.
Afternoon
Reception for the Dutch community
In the afternoon the King and Queen Máxima will meet with the Dutch community. At the ambassador’s official residence they will speak with Dutch nationals who live and work in Cyprus.
Evening
Return hospitality
In the evening the King and Queen Máxima will host a concert and a reception for the president, local authorities and other parties involved in the state visit, as a token of thanks for the hospitality extended to them during the visit. The concert will feature harpist Remy van Kesteren, together with Cypriot musicians. Afterwards the King and Queen Máxima will take their leave of the presidential couple.
Government Information Service, no. 44
‘Paying this state visit to Cyprus in the year you celebrate 65 years of independence made it particularly special. The southeast and northwest have come together. And we will never part. We are sincerely grateful for the friendship between our countries.’ – King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima