2+ week, 4+ day ago (629+ words) President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday reaffirmed the country's commitment to expanding trade and investment ties across the wider Middle East. Speaking at the 3rd Greece'Cyprus Intergovernmental Summit in Athens, Christodoulides said that forging stronger business links with the region would be a priority during Cyprus' upcoming Presidency of the Council of the European Union. He further stated that "Cyprus is the gateway for investments not only in Europe but also for the wider Middle East region." The president added that this includes India, "a country from which, especially recently, after Modi's visit to Cyprus, we see an increased interest from Indian companies to approach our country as an entry point to Europe." Christodoulides also noted the government's focus on deepening cooperation with Greece, calling it Cyprus' largest trading partner." "Beyond issues of national importance, we emphasise the need to strengthen our…...

2+ day, 9+ hour ago (613+ words) Pope Leo will meet in Turkey on Friday with Christian leaders from across the Middle East, and is expected to urge unity among denominations divided for centuries during his first overseas trip as leader of the global Catholic Church. The first U.S. pope will attend a celebration for the 1,700th anniversary of a landmark early Church council, held in modern Turkey. It produced the Nicene Creed, still used by most of the world's 2.6 billion Christians today. Friday's ceremony is the central impetus for Leo's four-day visit to mainly Muslim Turkey, where he is being closely watched as he makes his first speeches overseas and interacts for the first time with people outside largely Catholic Italy. Leo, a relative unknown on the world stage before becoming pope in May, arrived in Turkey on Thursday. In his first overseas speech, he lamented that the…...