Day: November 21, 2022

House President, Annita Demetriou, thanked the Japanese Ambassador, Seki Izumi, for her service, at a meeting that took place on Monday, on the occasion of the end of term of Izumi’s posting.

The Japanese Ambassador thanked Demetriou for their cooperation. She said that when she first came to Cyprus she came to meet her as well. She added that she is very glad that Demetriou got to meet Japan’s Speaker.

Annita Demetriou said that “this is only the beginning in the things we can do together, in order to upgrade our diplomatic relations as much as we can.” Regarding her meeting with the Japanese Speaker she said that “we want to find ways, not only at the level of Speakers, but at the level of parliamentary exchanges as well, to upgrade the role of the two parliaments. We will be in contact with your Parliament and your Speaker as well, to see how we can facilitate this.”

Giving her an honorary plaque with the symbol of the Cyprus Parliament, the smiling sun, Demetriou said that it is a symbol, that despite the problems, “we continue to be positive, smile and work for everything we need to accomplish for a safe future for our countries”.

She wished her all the best personally and professionally.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Independent presidential candidate Achilleas Demetriades has unveiled his policies for a ‘United and Green Cyprus” as a single ecosystem without the lines of division of the Turkish occupation and British Bases.

He also proposes constitutionally safeguarding the rights of individuals as regards environmental protection so that they can challenge anti-environmental policies, interventions and construction in court.

Achilleas Demetriades presented his proposals for green and sustainable growth under the title ‘Cyprus, United and Green’ at a press conference held on Monday, 21 November at the Panos Solomonides Cultural Centre, in Limassol. These proposals come within the framework of the Pillar ‘Cyprus- 2035’ of Achilleas Demetriades’ election programme.

The independent presidential candidate noted that the environmental threat posed by climate change affects the entire island – including the occupied area and the Bases, and stressed: “This country belongs to all of us and it is our obligation to protect it.” For this reason, Achilleas Demetriades proposed the establishment of a Technical Committee to address the climate crisis and to coordinate the services of the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish Cypriot community, under the European Union’s civil protection mechanism RescEU to deal with natural disasters (forest fires, floods, coastal erosion, earthquakes etc) as well as to draw up a joint study to manage the risks.

As regards the constitutional right on the environment, A.Demetriades explained that this was an individual right for a clean environment. It would safeguard effective participation and the public’s information regarding political decisions which affect the environment, as well as the public’s effective access to justice to protect the environment.

Achilleas Demetriades outlined his positions on key policies regarding the environment, energy and rural development so that Cyprus can attain the targets of the European Green Deal. More specifically, he set out the following proposals:

– Incentives, subsidy schemes and the creation of partnerships aiming at a decisive turn towards renewable energy sources (RES)

– Targeted public investments on RES infrastructure for energy storage and e-vehicles

– Green taxes on activities which burden the environment and tax breaks and subsidies for activities by individuals which benefit the environment and contribute to green growth

– Promoting green entrepreneurship and attracting green investment

– Upgrading infrastructure to implement a circular economy

– Upgrading the mandate of the Environment Commissioner to horizontal oversight of the implementation of policies for green growth

– Upgrading public transport and implementing a green town planning policy

– Drawing up a strategy for rural development that is based on sustainability, would attract young farmers to the sector and manage water resources in a sustainable manner.

Mr. Demetriades also outlined his positions on the protection of the Akamas, animal protection and a series of other issues of particular interest to the town and district of Limassol such as the municipal gardens and traffic congestion.

Finally, A. Demetriades noted that the outgoing Anastasiades government has failed in most areas that impact green policies and energy transition. He stressed that the European Recovery and Resilience Fund offers an opportunity for Cyprus to cover the lost ground of the past decade, provided we work consistently and with a timeframe. “Only a new leadership can change mentalities and implement plans for a united and green Cyprus,” he concluded, stressing “Cyprus deserves better.”

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Cyprus Chamber of Shipping on Monday welcomed with satisfaction the publication of the “Review of Cyprus Economic Policy” by the Center for Economic Research of the University of Cyprus, by professors Elias Yiannakis and Theofanis P. Mamouneas, which analyzes the sectoral interconnections and interdependencies in the Cyprus economy.

A press release by the Chamber says that the study shows that shipping industry is among the few industries that create the highest straight connections in the economy in terms of product produced, but also creates the most multiplier effects in terms of creating new jobs.

It also adds that there is a significant upward trend as regards what the shipping industry offers to the economy.

The Chamber says that the study provides an essential tool for the government, in order to identify the priority sectors and define new development and industrial policies supporting productive activities and sectors of the economy that have the maximum contribution.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, will meet with the German Chancellor, ?laf Scholz, the President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier and the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel during his working visit to Berlin on November 23 and 24.

According to a press release issued by the Presidency, Anastasiades leaves on Tuesday for Germany, where he will pay a two-day working visit, that will include meetings with the political leadership of the country.

On November 23 at 1000 local time, President Anastasiades will go to the Bellevue Palace, in Berlin, where he will be welcomed by President Steinmeier.

President Anastasiades will sign the book of visitors at the Palace and will then have a private meeting with his German counterpart. After that the two Presidents will chair expanded talks between delegations of the two countries.

At 1700 local time, the President of the Republic will arrive at the Chancellery where he will be welcomed by Chancellor Olaf Scholz, while a military contingent will pay tribute.

Following that Anastasiades will have a private meeting with Scholz and afterwards delegations of Cyprus and Germany will have expanded talks.

At 18.15 local time, President Anastasiades and the Chancellor of Germany will make statements to the media.

On November 24, at 0930 local time, the President of Cyprus will visit the Jewish Museum.

He will also give an interview to Die Welt newspaper.

Anastasiades will have a private meeting on the same day with the former Chancellor of Germany, Angela Merkel, at her office.

He will be accompanied to Berlin by Government Spokesman, Marios Pelekanos, Deputy Minister to the President, Petros Demetriou, the Ambassador of Cyprus to Germany, Maria Papakyriakou, the Director of his Office, Pantelis Pantelides and other officials.

Anastasiades will return to Cyprus in the evening of November 24.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

We expect from Turkey to respond with the same good will to efforts for a Cyprus settlement and from the international community to act towards Turkey, expressing the same positions as in the case of the Russian invasion of Ukraine asking for the immediate withdrawal of its troops from the territories it occupies, Presidential Commissioner, Photis Photiou has said.

He also noted that Turkey, as Russia, invaded another state, blatantly violating international law.

Speaking on Sunday at the Holy Trinity and St Luke church in Bermingham, Photiou said that unfortunately we are faced with the revisionism and extreme behaviour of the Turkish leadership, which, by blatantly violating the international law, questions Greece’s sovereign rights and launches threats with regard to the Aegean.

Moreover he said that Turkey acts against other states of the broader region, as Libya, Syria, Iraq and Armenia, while on the Cyprus problem it supports positions which are contrary to the context of the UN decisions and resolutions, showing that its real aim is to legalize the fait accompli of the invasion and to exert control on the whole island.

Photiou assured that “we are ready to proceed to the negotiating table aiming to a settlement abiding by the UN decisions and the UNSG’s good offices mission that will reunited the country and put an end to the Turkish occupation and secure the rights and freedoms of all Cypriots, excluding any foreign dependencies and guarantees.”

Referring to the Cypriots living abroad he commended them for their progress and for their contribution to the cause of Cyprus.

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. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Republic of Cyprus’ armament programme for 2023 is at the highest financial levels in the last 20 years, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides said.

Petrides was presenting the ministry’s 2023 budget on Monday before the Parliamentary Finance and Defence Committees.

Referring to the steps taken to strengthen the country’s operational capability, Petrides referred to the plan to upgrade the infrastructure of the National Guard, with the completion of three major projects in 2022 (ammunition depots, prefabricated buildings and officers club) and the launch of three more in 2023 (ammunition testing centre, unit buildings and hangars), upgrading in clothing and footwear materials, as well as additional support equipment for NG personnel, and strengthening the vehicle fleet with new trucks, buses and excavators, as well as search and rescue and unmanned aerial vehicles.

In defence diplomacy, the Minister continued, bilateral cooperation with more than 15 countries was expanded and trilateral and quadrilateral cooperation was strengthened, with participation in multinational exercises and activities which give prestige to the Republic of Cyprus and are beneficial for the personnel as they gain experience from modern armies and can interoperate with them, while an important step was the signing of a bilateral cooperation programme with Germany and the appointment of a Defence Attaché in Berlin for the first time, with the Ministry currently in the process of negotiating a Memorandum of Understanding.

With regard to upgrading cooperation with the US, Petrides spoke of the complete lifting of the arms embargo and participation in the International Military Education and Training (IMET) programmes, the conclusion of a Bilateral Agreement for the Provision of Services and Administration (ACSA) and the rolling out of the National Guard’s entry into a State Partnership Program (SPP) with the State of New Jersey.

Also significant was the work of the Search and Rescue Coordination Center, which, according to the Defence Minister, in the last two years, organised 41 exercises, including 11 multi-national exercises, investigated 375 cases and conducted 118 operations resulting in the rescue of 679 people.

In order to achieve the objective of creating a national research and innovation ecosystem in the fields of Defence and Security, the MoD supports financially and administratively the participation of Cypriot entities in 17 programmes of the European Defence Industrial Development Programme (EDIDP) and the European Defence Fund (EDF), while in cooperation with the Research and Innovation Foundation (RDI) it has launched new research and development projects in dual-use technologies, raising a total of €3 million from the Recovery and Resilience Fund, Petrides added.

He added that reform actions are being implemented regarding electronic recruitment services, such as electronic enlistment, declaration of data of male conscripts turning 16 years of age and application for contract soldiers recruitment, while the interconnection with the Cyprus Police Force has finally solved the problem of the identification and conscription of unregistered reservists.

In the personnel sector, the Defence Minister said that legislation was passed to regulate the working hours of the members of the Army and the National Guard and amendments were passed to Regulations concerning Army Officers and Non-commissioned Officers and, in order to fill identified gaps, an additional 3 Brigadier, 6 Colonels, 14 Lieutenant Colonels and 9 Majors were given additional posts and graduates of three-year non-commissioned officers military were upgraded.

At the same time, within the framework of the Ministry’s Environmental and Energy Policy, efforts are being made to reduce the operating costs of the National Guard, with the installation of 2,200 LED lights in 2022 and another 4,400 in 2023, while funding of 19 million euros has been secured for the energy saving programme, from the European Structural Funds and the Thaleia programme for the installation of photovoltaic systems with a total capacity of about 12 MW, the Minister concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Turnover Value Index of Transport and Storage for the third quarter of 2022 reached 147.5 units (base year 2015=100), recording an increase of 44.4% compared to the corresponding quarter of 2021, according to data published by the Statistical Service of Cyprus on Monday.

By economic activity, the highest increase relative to the third quarter of the previous year was observed in air transport by 390.1%, and is the result of the opening or closure of airline companies, due to the pandemic.

Land transport increased by 37.7%, warehousing and support activities for transportation by 28.3% and water transport by 5%, while a decrease of 2.2% was observed in postal and courier activities.

During the period January-September 2022, the Turnover Value Index of Transport and Storage recorded an increase of 44.7% compared to the corresponding period of 2021.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Ryanair has announced that it will launch its biggest ever flight schedule from Cyprus in the summer of 2023, increasing its total routes to 41 by adding 5 new destinations with a total investment of 400 million dollars.

Boosting its flight schedule to and from Cyprus, the low cost giant said it will carry out more than 260 flights weekly and is estimating to carry about 2 million passengers to and from the island in the next twelve months, Ryanair Commercial Director, Jason McGuiness told a press conference.

The announcement was welcomed by Minister of Transport Yiannis Karousos, Deputy Minister for Tourism Savvas Perdios and Eleni Kalogirou, CEO of Hermer Airports, the Cypriot airports operator, allo underscoring the importance of the coloration of the public and the private sector as well as thes significance of the incentive schemer airliners which boosted air connectivity to and from the island.

Ryanair said it will increase its fleet operating from Pafos Airport by 1 to a total of 4 and will increase its routes to 41 by adding five new routes, namely Athens, Bordeaux, Poznan Toulouse and Naples, while it will increase frequency to other seven routes.

“This is a 400-million dollar investment and we estimate we deliver in the region of two million passengers across the next twelve months which will make us the largest airline in Cyprus,” McGuiness said.

He noted that the summer of 2023 will see Ryanair’s “biggest-ever” flight schedule with 41 routes, noting that this will result in 120 direct and 1,600 indirect jobs in Cyprus.

McGuiness underscored the importance of the incentive schemes offered by Cyprus, noting “that is important for Ryanair’s long-term cost certainty.”

On her part, Kalogirou welcomed the announcement, highlighting that collaboration and agility were the key drivers for the recovery of passenger traffic following the Covid pandemic.

“It has been a long road with many ups and downs,” she said, noting that by the end of 2022 more than 9 million passengers will have travelled to and Cyprus’ two airports, representing a recovery of 80% compared to 2019, Cyprus’ record year despite the blow from the Russian market due to the war in Ukraine.

On his part, Savvas Perdios highlighted the importance of the incentive schemes, noting that the new routes emerged from the implementation of the Deputy Ministy’s strategy for Tourism.

Noting that 2021 will finish off with a reduction of 20% in tourist arrivals compared with 2019, stressing that arrivals from EU will close up by 23% compared with 2019.

“Also the EU as a whole is now our No 1 source market, more than 40% of all arrivals to Cyprus come from the EU today and over the next two to three years I am certain that this percentage will be even higher, obviously with you help but it the EU is going to be 50 or 60% of total arrivals in the next few years, certainly Ryanair is very well-placed to take advantage of that,” he added.

He noted that in the last three years the Deputy Ministry has spent €45 million for the upgrading of Cyprus’ tourist product and is estimated to spend an additional €80 million in the next three to four years, not including the investments by the private sector.

“These investments yield the confidence by huge airliners such as Ryanair” he added.

Yiannis Karousos described Ryanair’s announcement as the “best present” both for Cyprus and himself as today is his birthday.

The Transport Minister highlighted the collaboration of the public and the private sectors in boosting Cyprus’ air connectivity and recalled that Pafos airport was one of the few airports which saw an increase in passenger traffic compared with 2019.

Karousos said that apart from the incentive schemes, Cyprus has liberalised ground handling services which resulted in a reduction of 40% to 50% in airliners costs, without affecting tax-payer money.

“I have no doubt that following Ryanair’s announcement other airliners will follow suit announcing additional destinations or the increase in their flight schedules or bring additional aircraft thereby boosting their base in Cyprus,” he concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency