Day: February 25, 2023

Cypriot MPs participated in the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s 22nd Winter Meeting in Vienna that marked the one year since the Russian invasion of Ukraine.

Vice-President of the Assembly at the OSCE PA and Special Representative on Fighting Corruption, MP Irene Charalambides, in her intervention at a session of the Standing Committee, briefed the members about the results of her visit to Moldova, together with Anita Ramasastry, Special Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on Combating Corruption, the first joint visit by OSCE Executive and Assembly officials.

Charalambides referred, moreover, to her participation last December in a Round Table Discussion on the fight against corruption organised in The Hague by the governments of Canada, Ecuador and the Netherlands. She also participated, among other things, in a session of the Sub-Committee on Rules of Procedure “during which she presented a number of amendments aimed at strengthening the role of women in the OSCE PA”, as well as ensuring that the Code of Conduct for the OSCE PA members was legally binding.

Moreover, on the sidelines of the Assembly, Charalambides had a meeting with the head of the delegation of Kazakhstan, Askar Shakirov, in view of her upcoming visit to the country, as Special Coordinator of a short-term OSCE observer mission to monitor the parliamentary elections that will be held in the country on March 19. Charalambides also met with the first deputy chairperson of the Senate of Uzbekistan’s Parliament and head of the delegation of Uzbekistan to the OSCE PA, Sadik Safoev, with whom she exchanged views on issues of bilateral and broader interest.

Cypriot MP, Kyriakos Hadjiyiannis in his own intervention at the event, as Special Representative on Civil Society Engagement, stressed “the tragic humanitarian situation in which the country finds itself one year after the start of the Russian attack”, a statement by the Parliament said.

“Those who are responsible for war crimes, crimes against humanity and massive violations of human rights must be held accountable,” Hadjiyiannis said, noting that, Civil Society and Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) in Ukraine “contribute significantly” in this direction by recording, collecting and sharing in the press and social media information about possible crimes as well as about the situation prevailing in the entire country.

He also referred to the role of NGOs in the reconstruction of the country, in raising funds for strengthening Ukraine’s resilience, and in helping the resettlement of Ukrainian refugees who have been forced to leave their homes.

The war in Ukraine, he pointed out, reminded everyone that governments cannot solve all problems by themselves and that the contribution of NGOs is a catalyst in dealing with multiple crises, therefore, “their malicious demonisation is condemnable”, he said.

Hadjiyiannis also referred to an initiative he undertook in collaboration with the Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), for the preparation of guidelines for national parliaments regarding the participation of civil society in decision-making processes.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The stable development of the rural areas and the improvement of the standard of living of their population were a main priority of the outgoing, Anastasiades’ government, Minister of the Interior, Nicos Nouris said on Saturday, addressing the General Assembly of the Union of Cyprus Communities, noting that, it contributed to the creation of the conditions that will keep residents in their villages, but will also attract city dwellers move to the countryside.

Addressing the members of the Union of Communities, the Minister said that, he did everything in his power to materialise their visions and demands, always keeping in mind the difficult economic situation and the extent of what the State could do.

Nouris said that the government has allocated €450 million for the three-year period 2023-2025 to support the countryside and revitalise mountain communities, through various actions such as development projects, housing schemes, financial assistance to residents of mountainous and remote areas, while they set in motion the implementation of a programme to allocate savings from the budget for additional projects in the countryside.

Never before has any other government in Cyprus given such support to the rural areas, he stressed.

He also stated that the total cost of the projects promoted for the period 2023-2025 in municipalities and communities throughout the country was “noteworthy” and will amount to €632 million. Of this, €325 million concern projects in urban areas, €236 million concerns rural areas and another €71 million peri-urban areas, “which shows the importance we attach to the development of the countryside, but also the balance we maintain in the government’s development budgets”.

Nouris also referred “to the very difficult and special role of our occupied communities”, which, as he said, have, among other things, the responsibility for preserving the memory, perspective and hope “for a return to our beloved villages, which are illegally held by Turkey, as a result of the barbaric invasion of 1974”.

Regarding the reform of the local government, the Minister said that it is “the biggest institutional change to the self-government map of the Republic of Cyprus” that creates a modern state of affairs, noting that, the new operating framework will be implemented with the local government elections which will be held in May 2024.

He said that the remaining period until then, should be fully utilised for the proper and timely preparation of the new entities and organisations that will be established from June 2024, whether they are called local clusters of services to the communities, or district self-government organisations, or new municipalities.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Commission welcomes the Council’s adoption of a 10th package of sanctions against Russia and those that support it in its illegal aggression against Ukraine. 24 February marks one year since Russia’s full-scale invasion of Ukraine and 9 years since the beginning of Russia’s illegal invasion and occupation of Ukrainian territory. This package is turning up the pressure in response to Putin’s brutal war, including viciously targeting civilians and critical infrastructure. In order to further increase the effectiveness of EU sanctions, today’s package contains new listings plus trade and financial sanctions, including further export bans worth more than €11 billion, depriving the Russian economy of critical tech and industrial goods. It also steps up enforcement and anti-circumvention measures, including a new reporting obligation on Russian Central Bank assets.

Specifically, this package contains the following elements:

Additional listings

The EU has added about 120 individuals and entities to our sanction list, including Russian decision-makers, senior government officials and military leaders complicit in the war against Ukraine, as well as proxy authorities installed by Russia in the occupied territories in Ukraine, among others. The list also includes key figures involved in the kidnapping of Ukrainian children to Russia, as well as organisations and individuals, who are polluting the public space with disinformation, adding to the military warfare through information warfare. Measures are also taken against individuals in Iran who are involved in the elaboration of drones and components supporting Russia’s military. In addition, members and supporters of Russia’s Wagner mercenary group and its activities in other countries, such as Mali or Central African Republic, are also targeted.

Additional EU export bans and restrictions

New export restrictions have been introduced on sensitive dual-use and advanced technologies that contribute to Russia’s military capabilities and technological enhancement, based on information received from Ukraine, our Member States and our partners. This includes additional electronic components used in Russian weapons systems (drones, missiles, helicopters, other vehicles), as well as bans on specific rare earths and thermal cameras with military applications. Moreover, we are also listing 96 additional entities associated to Russia’s military-industrial complex, bringing the total of military end-users that are listed to 506. This includes Russian entities associated with the Kremlin-controlled Wagner paramilitary organisation. This also includes, for the first time, seven Iranian entities that have been using EU components and providing Russia with military “Shahed” drones to attack civilian infrastructure in Ukraine. Importantly, we are working in close coordination with partners, and are adding Australia, Canada and New Zealand and Norway to the list of our partner countries.

Additional export bans are now also imposed on goods that can be easily redirected to be used to support the Russian war effort including:

Vehicles: heavy trucks not yet banned (and their spare parts), semi-trailers, and special vehicles such as snowmobiles;

Goods easily directed to the Russian military: including electric generators, binoculars, radars, compass, etc.;

Construction goods such as bridges, structures for buildings tower-like, fork-lifts trucks, cranes, etc.;

Goods that are critical for the functioning and enhancement of Russian industrial capacity (electronics, machine parts, pumps, machinery for working metals, etc.);

Complete industrial plants: this category has been added to avoid loopholes;

Goods used in the aviation industry (turbojets).

These new bans and restrictions cover EU exports worth EUR 11.4 billion (2021 data). They come on top of the €32.5 billion worth of exports already sanctioned in the previous packages. With today’s package, the EU has sanctioned in total nearly close to half (49%) of its 2021 exports to Russia.

Additional imports bans into the EU

Today’s package imposes import bans on the following Russian high-revenue goods:

Bitumen and related materials like asphalt; and

Synthetic rubber and carbon blacks.

These new import bans cover EU imports worth almost EUR 1.3 billion and they come on top of €90 billion already sanctioned, representing altogether 58% of the EU’s 2021 imports.

Financial sector

Three Russian banks have been added to the list of entities subject to the asset freeze and the prohibition to make funds and economic resources available.

Other measures include the following:

A ban on Russian nationals from serving on governing bodies of Member States’ critical infrastructure companies;

Prohibition on Russian nationals and entities to book gas storage capacity in the Union (LNG excluded);

Measures to facilitate the divestment from Russia by EU operators;

A third country shipping company, suspected of helping Russia circumvent sanctions on oil exports, has also been listed.

Enforcement and anti-circumvention measures

Today’s package imposes new reporting obligations on Russian Central Bank assets. This is especially important regarding the possible use of public Russian assets to fund the reconstruction of Ukraine after Russia is defeated.

Other measures include the following:

reporting obligations on frozen assets (including for dealings before listings) and assets which should be frozen;

Private flights between the EU and Russia, directly or via third countries, should be notified in advance;

Prohibition to transit dual use goods and firearms via the territory of Russia to third countries.

In addition to today’s package, the EU sanctions envoy David O’Sullivan is reaching out to third countries, to ensure strict implementation of sanctions and prevent circumvention. On 23 February, the first Sanctions Coordinators Forum took place in Brussels, gathering our international partners and Member States, to strengthen enforcement efforts.

Additional bans on Russian disinformation outlets

Two additional Russian media outlets have been added to the media ban.

Technical amendments

Amendment to allow the provision of pilot services necessary for maritime safety ;

Definition of the term “import” to avoid goods being “stranded” in long customs procedures;

Background

The EU’s sanctions against Russia are proving effective. They are limiting Russia’s ability to wage the war against Ukraine, including to manufacture new weapons and repair existing ones, as well as hinder its transport of material.

The geopolitical, economic, and financial implications of Russia’s continued war of aggression against Ukraine are clear, as the war has disrupted global commodities markets, especially for agrifood products and energy. The EU continues to ensure that its sanctions do not impact energy and agrifood exports from Russia to third countries.

As guardian of the EU Treaties, the European Commission monitors the enforcement of EU sanctions across the EU.

The EU stands united in its solidarity with Ukraine, and will continue to support Ukraine and its people together with its international partners, including through additional political, financial, military and humanitarian support for as long as necessary.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus’ outgoing Minister of Health, Michalis Hadjipantela, has called on his successor to embrace public hospitals and health professionals, noting that public hospitals are the backbone of the health system.

Hadjipantela, who visited Paphos General Hospital on Saturday, said that he was completing his round of visits to public hospitals. He was to also visit Limassol General Hospital within the day.

The aim of the visits was to thank the staff and wish them success, but also to assure them that he will always be by their side, as he noted.

Hadjipantela also said he felt proud for what was achieved during the 19 months of his term as Minister, but also for the “excellent professionals” and colleagues who worked beside him, “day, night, Saturdays and holidays”.

It is for this reason, he said, that they were able to cope with the difficult times of the coronavirus pandemic, noting that, when in other countries the health systems collapsed “in our country we had one of the best results in all of Europe”.

Hadjipantela said that the Ministry has always had to manage difficult situations and cases, but, with cooperation, they always found solutions.

President-elect Nikos Christodoulides is expected to announce his Cabinet within the coming days as the swearing-in ceremony of the new Ministers is scheduled to take place on March 1.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, expressed his appreciation for the close cooperation between Cyprus and Egypt to his Egyptian counterpart, Abdel Fattah Al Sisi, according to a post on Anastasiades’ Twitter account on Saturday.

According to the post, during a telephone conversation between the two leaders, President Anastasiades reiterated his deepest appreciation “for our close and fruitful cooperation, which has led to the advancement of our relations at all levels and sectors.”

He also thanked the Egyptian President “for his friendship and support” and conveyed to him his warmest wishes “to the friendly people of the Arab Republic of Egypt for constant progress and prosperity”.

Source: Cyprus News Agency