Day: June 4, 2023

Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, has congratulated all athletes and their coaches for their performance in 2023 Malta GSSE that wrapped up on Saturday. He extended his congratulations to all sports federations, the Cyprus Olympic Committee, the medical and paramedical staff and the heads of the delegation.

In a written statement the President said that with joy and pride we all watched the excellent performances of our athletes.

Cyprus ranked second in the medal list, behind Malta, with an overall of 87 medals, 30 gold, 28 silver and 29 bronze.

President Christodoulides in his statement praised the collective effort of everyone, the persistent determination and preparation of our athletes, saying that we all admire them and feel excitement and their commitment and sacrifices is a guide and an example for all.

Cyprus secured most of its medals in swimming ( a total of 25) but in judo the athletes also had a great performance and raised the bar of expectations quite high.

In track it is understood that the athletes of the Cypriot team did not live up to expectations, despite the total of 24 medals won. This was due to the absence of first-class athletes and also injuries.

The next GSSE will be held in Andorra in two years.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Around 343,000 cruise ship passengers arrived to Cyprus last year, while it is expected that there will be slight increase this year, Deputy Minister of Tourism, Kostas Koumis said, on board the Royal Caribbean’s Rhapsody of the Seas cruise liner, marking its arrival at the Limassol port on Saturday for its summer season routes. Koumis, as well as Deputy Minister of Shipping, Marina Hadjimanolis, welcomed the inclusion of Cyprus in its itineraries.

Limassol and Haifa are the only ports where travelers will be able to board the Rhapsody of the Seas, whose itinerary includes, in addition to the two ‘home ports’, Rhodes, Piraeus, Santorini, Mykonos, Chania and Kusadasi.

Koumis noted that, last year Cyprus had ‘satisfactory arrivals’ from cruise ships, around 343,000 people, while they estimate that a slight increase will be recorded this year, as well as next year. The Deputy Minister noted, however, that numbers aside, it was also very important, ‘to record the satisfaction of visitors’, which is also linked with the country’s infrastructure, which, according to Koumis, ‘has improved a lot in recent years’. He also noted that, they should, perhaps, see how to improve even more by following the developments in the cruise industry.

Hadjimanolis, said that it was an honour for Cyprus that the port of Limassol was chosen for the Rhapsody of the Seas itinerary, adding that, ‘we are particularly proud that the Cyprus Registry is ranked among the top shipping registries worldwide and even more proud of the fact that it also includes the Royal Caribbean group’s Spectrum of the Seas cruise ship from January 2023’.

‘We are grateful for the trust you have shown in the flag of Cyprus, putting our country on the global cruise map,’ Hadjimanolis said. She also noted that with the expected operation of the group’s office in Limassol, which, as she said, will be the centre of its shipping activities in the eastern Mediterranean, ‘Cyprus is being established as a quality cruise centre, while our tourism product is strengthened, with significant benefits for tourism, Limassol and the wider local economy’.

She said that the Deputy Ministry and the Cypriot government will continue to support the group and offer quality shipping services.

Director of Europe, Middle East and Africa for Royal Caribbean, Christos Karavos, said that the ship sailed on Friday from Haifa, Israel with more than 2,000 passengers while 207 individuals were to board the ship in Limassol.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

A joint team of inspectors of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE), led by a Cyprus National Guard Officer, carried out an inspection visit to Austria, within the framework of the Confidence and Security Building Measures provided for by the Vienna Document, an announcement by the General Staff of the National Guard, said on Sunday.

The visit took place between May 30 and June 2, 2023.

According to the announcement, the inspection team was composed of three officers of the National Guard and a senior officer from Luxembourg.

During the inspection, it added, the team visited Land and Air Forces Formations and infrastructure of the Austrian Armed Forces, where it was briefed on their mission, work and capabilities, and had the opportunity to see the level of training of the personnel. At the same time, they inspected the implementation of Austria’s obligations, deriving from the Vienna Document, it said.

The inspection team noted the excellent cooperation with the OSCE, as well as Austria’s compliance with all its obligations, the announcement said.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Hellenic Force in Cyprus (ELDYK) is an integral part of the modern history of the Republic of Cyprus, said the Minister of Defence, Michalis Giorgallas, at an event held in Lefkara village, in Larnaca district, in honour of ELDYK.

He stressed that the continuous presence of the force on the island, in addition to maintaining strong national unity, was ‘a factor of security and deterrence’ for the Cypriot people ‘and resounding proof of our long, stable and unwavering relationship’ with Greece.

In his address, Giorgallas expressed ‘the sincere gratitude of the Cypriot State and of Cypriot Hellenism as a whole, to Greece, which, in every way supports the Republic of Cyprus and the struggle we are waging for the freedom and survival of our people’.

He also said, that, in every armed conflict of Greece for the defence of national rights from ancient to modern times, ‘Cypriot Hellenism resolutely declared its presence, as a sign of active support and national obligation’.

The Minister also referred to ‘the historical events’ that made ELDYK an integral part of the modern history of the Republic of Cyprus, as he noted, highlighting its ‘important and decisive role’ in defending the country during the 1974 invasion of Turkey.

‘Our presence here’, he noted, ‘is a reminder of our debt’ to the heroic Greek soldiers who were killed or are missing since, ‘and of our unwavering will to continue the fight, until the final vindication. The much wanted solution of the Cyprus problem and the liberation of our homeland’.

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