Day: June 21, 2022

A new picnic site in Troulloi village, which was created with the cooperation of the Embassy of Israel, the Forest Department and the local Community Council, was inaugurated today by the Minister of Agriculture, Costas Kadis, in the presence of the Israeli Ambassador, Oren Anolik. The picnic site was named “Israel Park” and the new forest in the area “Jerusalem Forest”.

Kadis said that the Israeli Embassy’s initiative to contribute with €35,000 for this project “confirms that the relationship between the two States extends beyond the pure political issues to other sectors and activities as well”. He expressed the Republic’s appreciation towards the Israeli Ambassador and added that this initiative, “in an area that has been suffering from fires and climate crisis for years, provides a clear message, that the protection of the environment is achieved under joint policies and actions”.

He also mentioned that the location selected for the implementation of the project is also connected to the Holocaust of European Jews during the Second World War and the support of Cyprus to Jews detained in the internment camp at the community of Xylotympou.

Kadis also stressed the importance of such a space in providing a relaxing outlet close to nature, both for visitors and locals, and emphasized the importance of such projects, reminding people of the importance and value of the natural environment, especially in times of climate change. He concluded that the efforts of the Forest Department to create new forests in the wider area have resulted to a unique green space of major importance.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Ayia Napa Marina establishes Cyprus as an all-year-round tourist destination, said the President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades, who attended the grand opening ceremony of the Marina on Tuesday evening.

President Anastasiades characterised Ayia Napa Marina as ”an iconic project”, which “will not only alter the tourist landscape of Cyprus, but of the Eastern Mediterranean as well.”

He also expressed his “sincere appreciation and gratitude” to Naguib Sawiris and Caramondanis Group for the accomplishment of the project.

“Ayia Napa Marina provides international world–class yachting facilities, luxurious residences and multi-purpose entertainment venues, said President Anastasiades, adding that setting high standards in terms of environmental protection and the provision of smart services to ships and visitors, it “is the only one in our immediate region which has been awarded with a relevant ISO Certificate.”

He went on to say that the added value of such a development significantly strengthens the position of Cyprus in an increasingly competitive global environment, making it an ideal environment for both visitors and investors.

“Both I and the government feel really proud since this project proves that we fully utilize our comparative advantages, such as our location at the cross-roads of three continents, with an established culture of warmth and hospitality and a modern legal system which is being widely recognised as being effective and truly business-friendly”, said President Anastasiades.

He also pointed out that the added value of such a development significantly strengthens the position of Cyprus in an increasingly competitive global environment, making it an ideal environment for both visitors and investors.

High-value projects such as the Ayia Napa Marina create hundreds of new jobs and attract quality tourism and adhere to the government’s strategically oriented policies in establishing Cyprus as an all-year-round tourist destination, said the President, adding that this strategy includes the growth of nautical and maritime tourism, through the development of Marinas along the coastline of Cyprus and the licensing of yacht berthing and superyacht areas.

President Anastasiades pointed out that “in addition to the Limassol Marina and Port, we have established related and interconnected projects, such as the Paralimni and the Larnaca Marinas and Ports.”

He also noted that ”the Ayia Napa Marina will bring about the positive effects that the constructive and transparent cooperation between the Central Government, local authorities and private sector entails.” This project, he said, will prove to be a jewel of Cyprus and the Mediterranean.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Any new proposals by the Turkish Cypriot side should be in line with the UN resolutions, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said on Tuesday afternoon, before attending a ceremony for the inauguration of Ayia Napa Marina.

Commenting on statements by Turkish Cypriot leader Ersin Tatar – who described the proposed Confidence Building Measures by the Greek Cypriot side and the federal solution as “outdated”, and said that he will submit new proposals – President Anastasiades said that Turkish Cypriot proposals are welcome if they are in line with the UN resolutions.

“If they will continue with their intransigent and unacceptable position it is better not to submit them at all,” he added.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Health Minister, Michalis Hadjipantela, and his Israeli counterpart, Nitzan Horowitz, discussed about expanding Cyprus-Israeli health cooperation when dealing with emergencies and natural disasters, as well as in the area of organ transplantation and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Speaking after a meeting, in Nicosia, Hadjipantela referred to the long-term cooperation between Cyprus and Israel in medical matters and patients’ treatment. He also mentioned that his Israeli counterpart submitted written suggestions, with the aim of signing a memorandum on matters that fall within their competencies, this summer.

He said that during the meeting, they agreed that Cyprus and Israel will transfer patients from either country to hospitals of either country, during an emergency. He also noted that the Israeli Health Ministry suggested storage areas, where they would jointly keep equipment to be used in such an emergency, either in Cyprus or Israel.

The two Ministers also discussed ways to activate an agreement on organ transplantations, benefiting patients from both countries, with Hadjipantela expressing hope that the first transplantations will take place soon.

Replying to a question, Hadjipantela said they also discussed the management of the pandemic during the meeting. “We decided that both countries follow a close cooperation and we will frequently ask for exchange of information” said the Minister of Health and added that the aim is to effectively manage a possible new pandemic wave. To another question, he said that the Ministry’s services closely observe the mew COVID-19 cases and hospitalisations and any policies will be decided in coordination and after exchanging information with other EU countries and Israel, as well.

The Israeli Health Minister, Nitzan Horowitz, stated from his part that the “excellent cooperation” between the two countries is based both in the geographical closeness and the “common values, common interest and strategy” they share. He said that the discussion between the two parties concerns mainly the cooperation “in the fields of emergency services, dealing with natural disasters – such as earthquakes, fires or security problems – in terms of medical and health responses to emergency situations”, as well as the joint training of staff, sharing of equipment in emergency situations, programs for organ transplantations and the expansion of cooperation between Cypriot and Israeli hospitals.

“Both countries share a good tradition of cooperation and I think we have a lot in common to develop in the future”, said Horowitz and added that he proposed a draft for a bilateral memorandum in the hope that it could be signed within this summer. “I invited the Minister to come to Israel soon, for the regional conference of the World Health Organization and I hope to see him before that, to sign a mutual agreement to extend our medical cooperation”, he said.

Responding to a journalist’s question, he said that he would pay a visit to Famagusta hospital, which is the reference hospital for COVID-19. “I was informed that it is your number one corona hospital” he said and added that he would like to observe how COVID-19 patients are treated in Cyprus. “Unfortunately, these recent weeks we see a rise in corona virus cases in Israel, so we also exchanged information about this and we will collaborate in the future. I hope we are not in the same situation we were in previous waves, but we have to prepare”, he concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Today, the Commission will launch a dialogue with Member States on the joint creation of a Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage to help safeguard European cultural treasures through a digital infrastructure. The Cloud aims at fostering cooperation and co-creation among cultural, creative and technology sectors. With an envisaged budget of €110 million until 2025 from Horizon Europe, the Collaborative Cloud will be a unique infrastructure that will enable unprecedented transdisciplinary and large-scale collaboration between specialists, such as cultural heritage scholars, curators, archivists and conservators. It will provide cutting-edge technologies for digitising artefacts, researching artworks, and documenting data, all of which will significantly advance and add a new digital dimension to cultural heritage preservation, conservation, and restoration. It aims to facilitate the access to advanced technologies and remove barriers for smaller and remote institutions. Mariya Gabriel, Commissioner for Innovation, Research, Culture Education and Youth, together with Ministers of Culture and Science, as well as high-level representatives from Member States and from the European Parliament have laid the groundwork for the European Collaborative Cloud for Cultural Heritage. Also today, Commissioner Gabriel and Christian Ehler, Member of the European Parliament and Rapporteur on Horizon Europe legislation, will hold a press point in BOZAR, Brussels at 13:30 (Brussels time). They will be accompanied by Magdalena Liskova, Head of Institutional Relations at BOZAR. More information will be available in this press release from 13:30 (Brussels time). (For more information: Johannes Bahrke — Tel.: + 32 229 58615; Marietta Grammenou — Tel.: + 32 229 83583)

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Commission has announced additional 2.5 million euros for the support of the work of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage in Cyprus between the years 2022 and 2025.

The press release says that the support programme of the Commission for the Turkish Cypriot community continues to offer help towards the goal for the reunification of Cyprus and in the framework of these efforts, the Commission has signed a new agreement to the support of the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage in Cyprus.

Since 2012 the European Commission has the most significant contribution to the works of the Committee which exceeds 24 million euro.

Together with the UNDP, the Technical Committee has until today restored, preserved, structurally supported 102 monuments of cultural heritage in the whole island, it concludes.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus Parliamentarians Yiorgos Loukaides and Christiana Erotokritou, attended on Monday the summer session of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and during their interventions they addressed the issue of the contribution of political parties in the eradication of racism and the promotion of multiculturalism and participation.

Loukaides welcomed the revision of the Charter for the Elimination of Racism by European political parties and praised the work of the European Commission against Racism and other Council of Europe mechanisms and tools, such as the No Hate Parliamentary Alliance, which provide legal assistance to member states to better combat racism.

He also expressed concern about the rhetoric which considers refugees and migrants as a burden and a threat to societies. Because of this, he noted, there is an urgent need for all parties to sign the Charter for the elimination of racism. He also said that it was necessary to launch a coordinated effort between PACE and national parliaments through the establishment of an effective monitoring mechanism, in order to safeguard that all parties are committed and implement in practice the basic provisions of the Charter.

In her address Erotokritou noted that political parties can play an important role in combating discrimination, starting with the inclusion of the principles of equality, participation and multiculturalism in the agenda of party youth organizations. She noted that the youth are better able to perceive issues such as freedom, inclusion and openness.

She underlined that diversity within a party can have an important effect, achieving change from within and at the same time ensuring greater opportunities for democratic participation and representation in all social groups.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The European Commission adopted today a proposal to mobilise €600 million from the reserves of the European Development Fund to address the current food security crisis aggravated by Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. These funds will support African, Caribbean and Pacific (ACP) countries to cope with the dire situation, through humanitarian assistance (€150 million), sustainable production and resilience of food systems (€350 million) and macro-economic support (€100 million).

Announcing the new support measure at the 2022 European Development Days in Brussels, President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen, said: “Russia’s war of aggression is taking a heavy and senseless toll, not only on the Ukrainian population, but also those most vulnerable around the world. Russia is still blocking millions of tonnes of desperately needed grain. To help our partners we will mobilise an additional 600 million euros to avoid a food crisis and an economic shock.”

Commissioner for International Partnerships, Jutta Urpilainen, said: “Solidarity is at the core of our European Union values. The most vulnerable are facing tremendous suffering with a worsened food crisis following Russia’s war of aggression against Ukraine. With these additional €600 million, we will strengthen our support to address the crisis, while contributing to sustainable and resilient food systems.”

Support orientations

The Commission proposes to direct the €600 million mobilised from the European Development Fund reserves to support the most affected African, Caribbean and Pacific countries. This will address different dimensions of the crisis by sustaining:

* Humanitarian assistance: €150 million for cash assistance whenever appropriate and where possible, support through existing social protection and safety nets mechanisms.

* Food production and resilience of food systems: €350 million in the medium to long term to support investments in sustainable production to underpin more resilient food systems, including social sustainability (youth and women).

* Macro-economic support: €100 million for the Poverty Reduction and Growth Trust (PGRT) of the IMF, which will facilitate support to affected countries. EU support to the PRGT is part of a Team Europe approach and the additional contribution is expected to incentivise other donors to contribute as well.

These €600 million to contribute to the EU Global Food Security Response to help tackle the food crisis, comes on top on top of already mobilised humanitarian assistance worldwide, and funds from NDICI-Global Europe earmarked for projects on sustainable agriculture, basic nutrition, water and sanitation, and social safety protection, amounting to over €2 billion in Sub-Saharan Africa and another €1 billion for the Southern Neighbourhood partners, that complement the EU’s Food and Resilience Facility worth €225 million in support of this region. Another €960 million are foreseen under NDICI-Global Europe for Latin America and the Caribbean and Asia until 2024.

Background

Even before Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, close to 193 million people across 53 countries and territories were acutely food insecure and in need of urgent assistance. Russia’s attack is dramatically worsening the situation.

The EU has reacted with a series of strategic decisions. In its 23 March communication on food security, the European Commission reaffirmed its firm commitment to fight global food insecurity, together with its partners.

The EU Global Food Security Response operationalises the various strands of action – including as foreseen within FARM and the G7 Global Alliance – while providing the necessary support to the UN Global Crisis Response Group. It comprises of four strands of action, to be implemented jointly with the Member States in a Team Europe approach: 1. Solidarity: emergency relief and affordability; 2. Sustainable production and resilience; 3. Trade: facilitating food trade; 4. Effective multilateralism.

The funds that the Commission proposes to use are de-committed funds from the 10th and 11th EDF, which would return to EU Member States unless otherwise agreed by the Council by unanimity. If the Council confirms, these funds will benefit African, Caribbean and Pacific countries and will be used in the framework of a Team Europe response.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades received on Tuesday at the Presidential Palace the Earl and Countess of Wessex.

The President and his spouse Andri welcomed Prince Edward and Countess Sophie during an official ceremony which took place in the morning, a presidency press release says. A military procession paid tribute, and the national anthems of Cyprus and the United Kingdom were played.

Then Earl of Wessex laid a wreath at the statue of Archbishop Makarios III, the first President of the Republic of Cyprus. President Anastasiades, his wife and the Earl and Countess of Wessex then had a meeting at his office.

Welcoming the Earl and the Countess President Anastasiades said that relations between the two countries are continuously being strengthened and further developed, noting that their meeting today will provide an opportunity to review bilateral ties.

He added that the bilateral relationship is based on strong ties, emphasizing that hundreds of thousands of Cypriots live permanently in the United Kingdom, while thousands of Britons choose Cyprus after their retirement. He also said that Cyprus is a major tourist destination for British citizens.

The President noted that there is a will to further strengthen cooperation between the two countries in all areas. He also congratulated the royal couple on their 23rd wedding anniversary.

The Earl and the Countess attended on Monday evening an event organized by the UK High Commissioner on the occasion of the Queen’s Birthday Party and Platinum Jubilee, in the presence of President Anastasiades.

While in Cyprus, they are to also meet British peacekeepers serving at UNFICYP and members of the British Forces serving in the British Bases.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The highest price for Diesel has reached €1.999 in Cyprus, according to the Consumer Protection Service’s Fuel Retail Price Observatory. On average, diesel costs around €1.914, while at the cheapest gas station it can be found at €1.808. Unleaded gasoline 95 octane averages at €1.806. The cheapest unleaded 95 sells for €1.755, while the most expensive is at €1.867.

On the basis of the data there seems to be great disparity between different petrol stations across the island.

Invited to comment on that by CNA President of the Pancyprian Petrol Station Owners Association, Savvas Prokopiou, said this is due to the the fact that companies supply their stations at different times.

Same company gas stations should have similar gas prices, he noted.

Prokopiou also said that the reason behind different prices could be the fact that different petrol stations receive different discounts.

Regarding the possibility of future price hikes, he noted that it would be difficult to make a forecast, as he could not know if and when international oil prices would fluctuate, adding that recent forecasts have not ben accurate.

Internationally, according to Bloomberg, the price of crude WTI is at $111.52 per barrel, Brent at $115.01 per barrel. Natural gas on the Nymex market is $6.73 per million BTU.

Source: Cyprus News Agency