Category: General

The solution of the Cyprus problem remains the unchanging goal, said the Minister of Defence, Charalambos Petrides, who delivered a speech at the memorial service of the hero of the EOKA National Liberation Struggle, Panikos Symeou, which took place on Sunday in Limassol.

According to a statement from the Ministry of Defence, Petrides said that “Lately, Turkey, adopting an anachronistic and revisionist policy, has been trying to impose itself and control the entire Eastern Mediterranean at the expense of Hellenism, but also of the rest of the countries in the region”.

“With non-existent inventions and the circumvention of International Law, Turkey attempts to construct and promote an anti-Greek false reality. With extreme statements against Greece and Cyprus, it has adopted a tactic of provocation and fanaticism with direct threats,” continued the Minister.

“In this slippage, as the Republic of Cyprus, we oppose strong networks of alliances and partnerships in the regional and international geopolitical scene and we make use of every available diplomatic means”, Petrides noted.

He also pointed out that “the goal remains one and unchanging. The solution of the Cyprus issue. A solution that will result from a sincere dialogue and which will be based on the agreed framework for the solution of the Cyprus issue and the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. A solution which will aim at the liberation and reunification of our homeland and the creation of conditions of security, prosperity, coexistence and cooperation for our people”.

“We must resist Turkey’s unacceptable attitude and illegal actions with all our strength. We renew the oath that we will not abandon our occupied ancestral homes, our villages and cities. We will never renounce our national sovereignty and everything that characterises our national identity and consciousness”, stressed the Minister of Defence.

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

Cyprus has 27% of women in management-level positions – one of the lowest rates in the EU and ranks 22nd in the EU on the Gender Equality Index, House Speaker Annita Demetrious said Saturday, addressing the 5th BPW Mediterranean Symposium titled ”Women leading the way in our new reality”.

Demetriou said that Gender inequalities are strongly pronounced in the domain of power and Cyprus still has a long way to go to close the gender gap and increase women’s participation in decision-making structures and leadership.

She noted that women’s empowerment is close to her heart, adding that being the first female President of the House of Representatives, she is a staunch defender of gender equality, gender-balanced representation in decision-making structures and leadership and gender mainstreaming in legislation.

Demetriou in her speech also noted that currently, Cypriot women shoulder much more care responsibilities and unpaid work than men and have limited access to leadership networks.

“The investment of €20.5 million in the framework of the Cyprus Recovery and Resilience Plan on supporting early childhood education and the creation of a network of childcare facilities is a positive step forward as it will foster full-time labour market participation of carers, notably women”, she said.

House Speaker said that Cypriot women encounter multiple constraints and are deprived of equal opportunities in assuming leadership roles because of persistent gender stereotypes and cultural bias and are often perceived as ill-equipped for assuming leadership positions.

“We must focus our efforts to overcome the particular challenges that hold women and girls back. We must step up our efforts to eliminate the gender pay and pension gaps (9% and 39%, respectively), the gender segregation in education, training, and employment and female underrepresentation in the fields of ICTs and STEM”, she underlined.

Demetriou also noted that it is imperative to transform the male-dominated narrative of leadership, to inspire change and encourage more women representation in decision-making and leadership.

“Working closely together in solidarity and unity, we can strive for a better, more sustainable, equitable and promising future for present and future generations”, she concluded.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

We do not come to terms with the occupation of our homeland and we cannot accept this improper situation, House Speaker Annita Demetriou said Sunday, delivering a speech at the memorial service for EOKA hero Fotis Pittas.

She said that “we cannot remain inactive before the expansionist Turkish plans and the two-state solution that Ankara promotes”, adding that “we will keep on fighting to reunite Cyprus and to have a just and sustainable solution, based on the principles and values of the EU, on the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and on the respect of the human rights of all the residents of the island”.

House Speaker noted that despite the Turkish intransigence we cannot give up our goal and pledged that we must keep showing unity and consensus in order to reach this goal.

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

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, said that Turkey needs to return to the path of international law and called for the intervention of the international community, ahead of his meeting with the German Chancellor, Olaf Scholz.

“The meeting with the German Chancellor in Berlin on November 23 is a continuation of the efforts we are making, in order to create the necessary conditions to resume a dialogue regarding the Cyprus issue”, the President said on Friday, attending the Gala Dinner for the 60th anniversary of Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

“Certainly, in order to create the conditions, Turkey also needs to return to the right path, i.e. the path of international law, otherwise we will observe a hardening of its position not only vis-à-vis Cyprus, but also potential risks due to a revisionist policy in the Aegean, Syria, Libya, Iraq, Nagorno-Karabakh and beyond,” noted President Anastasiades. He added that what’s needed at the moment was “to repeat what we have been doing since Crans-Montana, the need for the international community, the European Union in particular, to realise that without intervention a small country like Cyprus cannot achieve the results that we all desire.”

The President of the Republic is leaving for Germany next Tuesday, November 22. Cyprus issue, as well as bilateral, European, economic and energy issues will be discussed in the talks that President Anastasiades will have with Chancellor Scholz on November 23.

In a written statement, the Director of the Press Office of the President of the Republic, Andreas Iosif, states that during his visit to Berlin, President Anastasiades will, among other things, hold bilateral meetings with Chancellor Scholz and the Federal President of Germany, Frank-Walter Steinmeier.

Anastasiades and Scholz will also hold a joint press conference, notes Iosif.

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

If the next President follows the same consistent and prudent management, we will be able to deal with new global crisis in a satisfactory way, said, on Friday evening President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, who was speaking at a dinner hosted by the Limassol Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

During his speech, the President of the Republic also referred to numbers that confirm, as he said, , the growth path of our country, such as the growth rate of 6% for 2022, the return to surpluses of 460 million euros (1.7% of GDP) in 2023, the reduction of the public debt to 89.3% this year and to 83.3% in 2023, the reduction of the unemployment rate to 7% of the workforce, with a forecast for further reduction in 2023 to 6.4%”. In addition, he spoke about a “continuous upgrading of the long-term and short-term creditworthiness of Cyprus by the international rating agencies”.

It was this policy, he pointed out, that allowed the Government to present, for 2023, an increased budget of 520 million euros compared to 2022, with increased development spending by 12% and a boost in spending on social protection by 4%.

Saying that “through our plans we have laid the foundations for achieving sustainable economic and social development”, President Anastasiades stated that this fact is recognised both by the European Commission and the International Monetary Fund, as well as by international rating agencies, “which record at the same time the strong dynamics of the Cypriot economy”.

The most important thing, he underlined, is that the momentum created is reinforced by the implementation of the “Cyprus – Tomorrow” Plan, which as he noted, “constitutes the culmination, the completion of the work we have achieved, but also the legacy of Government for a modern European State, to all Cypriot citizens”.

With particular reference to the pillar of strengthening the resilience and competitiveness of the economy, the President of the Republic said that it includes investments and reforms aimed, among other things, at expanding the production base by strengthening the primary and secondary sectors of the economy, at digital transformation, expediting licensing procedures and providing incentives, supporting start-ups and innovative units and diversifying and further promoting the tourist product.

“Moreover, our main objective is to strengthen our policies so far regarding the transformation of Cyprus into a sustainable business and commercial centre of the Mediterranean”, he added.

He also stated that, in addition to the existing tax and other business incentives, the new national strategy for attracting companies to operate and/or expand their business activities in Cyprus is expected to make a decisive contribution.

A strategy that, he went on to say, that is already producing results, as recorded by the rise of Cyprus from 68th to 18th place in the Greenfield FDI Performance Index that records the performance of countries in attracting foreign investment, registering the highest rise of all countries.

He also noted that in the 1st half of 2022, foreign direct investment in Cyprus increased by 150% compared to pre-pandemic levels (1st half of 2019), while investments in software and information technology (IT) increased by 600 % (compared to 2019).

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus National Guard and the Armed Forces of France conducted a small-scale special operations exercise, within the framework of the Bilateral Defense Cooperation Program between the Republic of Cyprus and France.

The exercise under the name “BOLD WINGS – 2022”, took place in Cyprus, with the participation of special operations personnel from the two countries.

A press release issued Saturday says that the scenario of the exercise, held from November 14 to 18, included various types of individual and group weapons combat fire and personnel practice in performing free-fall jumps.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

Cyprus and Bangladesh secured an agreement for migrant returns which will be implemented immediately.

The agreement was reached during a meeting Cyprus Interior Minister Nicos Nouris held Saturday with the Minister of the Interior of Bangladesh, Asaduzzaman Khan, in the framework of the 3rd International Ministerial Conference on terrorist financing held in New Delhi.

A press release says that during the meeting, the two Ministers discussed ways of bilateral cooperation on migration and the return of Bangladeshi nationals, who are on the island illegally.

They agreed to speed up these returns and to eradicate any bureaucratic procedures and difficulties to this end.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The immigration problem and the significant number of Indian citizens who are currently residing illegally in the Republic of Cyprus, were discussed during a meeting held in New Delhi between Minister of the Interior Nicos Nouris and Deputy Minister of the Interior responsible for immigration issues of India Shri Nityanand Rai.

According to a press release by the Cyprus Ministry of Interior in the framework of the 3rd Ministerial Conference on Combating the Financing of Terrorism, Nouris held an official meeting on Friday with Shri Nityanand Rai during which they reaffirmed the strong ties of friendship and cooperation between the two countries.

During the meeting, the Cypriot Minister informed the Indian Deputy Minister about the immigration problem that Cyprus is facing and also about the significant number of Indian nationals who are currently residing illegally in the Republic, underlining the necessity of concluding an agreement on the readmission of persons residing illegally in the two countries, which the Republic of Cyprus has already submitted to the Government of India.

Moreover, with the aim of combating illegal immigration and creating a legal immigration mechanism, Nouris proposed a series of measures, among which the establishment of a liaison officer of the Government of India in Cyprus for a direct and close cooperation with the Cypriot police to deal with the phenomenon of fake documents, fake certifications, trafficking and exploitation of persons, as well as the fight against drug trafficking.

The Indian Deputy Minister expressed the strong will of the Government of India for cooperation in the above areas, expressing readiness to discuss and reach a mutually beneficial cooperation agreement. The press release says that the Indian official’s position in principle was a positive one regarding the proposal to establish an officer liaison in Cyprus.

The Minister of Interior extended an official invitation to the Indian official to visit Cyprus before the end of the year in order to sign the agreement that the two countries will reach, the press release concludes.

Source: Cyprus News Agency

G42, OceanX, G-Tech and the Indonesian Government to Collaborate to Advance Oceanic Research to Protect the Marine Environment

ABU DHABI, United Arab Emirates–(BUSINESS WIRE)– G42, the leading UAE-based AI and cloud computing company and global nonprofit ocean exploration organization OceanX, along with G-Tech Digital Asia (G-Tech), and the Government of the Republic of Indonesia via its Coordinating Ministry for Maritime Affairs and Investment (CMMAI) have announced the signing of a Letter of Intent to establish a collaboration to develop ocean research to help protect the marine environment.

In furtherance of this proposed collaboration, G42 intends to deploy G42 Cloud’s large-scale cloud infrastructure and services, remote sensing drone systems by Bayanat, a public listed company at ADX in which G42 owns a majority stake, and cutting-edge marine genomics applications by G42 Healthcare in the support of OceanX’s social welfare mission and its world-class marine research and media vessel the R/V OceanXplorer, to conduct advanced, in-depth analysis of the coastal and oceanic environments.

The Letter of Intent was signed by Mohammad Firman Hidayat, Acting Deputy Coordinating Minister for Maritime Resources, Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42, Vincent Pieribone, Vice Chairman of OceanX and Michel Hamilton, CEO of G-Tech.

The collaboration will support the aims of the Indonesian government, led by CMMAI, to improve management of marine resources including biodiversity and conservation of ecosystems, through the use of new technology and methodologies and OceanX’s broader mission to explore the ocean and bring it back to the world through educational media.

The project recognizes the importance of detailed mapping of marine resources through advanced technologies in order to protect and preserve the ocean environment and the livelihoods of the communities that are reliant on it. G42 will support OceanX and CMMAI research with a focus on mapping fisheries and marine resources through data-driven e-DNA, socio-economic, and ecological characters in coastal-marine ecosystems. The proposed collaboration also includes training and knowledge transfer to build human capacity and supporting infrastructure for CMMAI.

In line with the UAE’s mandate to explore and leverage advanced technologies to spearhead the efforts towards environmental preservation, G42 is deploying its extensive portfolio of companies to develop new and better ways in which both public and private organizations can address some of the most pressing climate and environmental challenges.

Peng Xiao, Group CEO of G42 commented: “We are proud to be collaborating with CMMAI and OceanX on this project to develop a greater understanding of Indonesia’s marine environment. Better data is vital to developing a more holistic view of our oceans’ condition, and through our work with OceanX, we are looking to support the development of new, tailored solutions and technologies that will help local authorities to protect the marine environment, for the benefit of present and future generations.”

Dr. Prashanth Marpu, Director of Geospatial Centre Of Excellence and Climate Action Program at Bayanat said: “Oceans are highly complex environments, and monitoring and research can present many challenges to researchers and scientists working in this field. Bayanat is applying its expertise in real-time geospatial services and solutions and handling large-scale data to develop the tools that will allow the research community to leverage big data analysis of the maritime environment.”

About G42

G42 is a global leader in creating visionary artificial intelligence for a better tomorrow. Born in Abu Dhabi and operating across the world, G42 champions AI as a powerful force for good. Its people are constantly reimagining what technology can do, applying advanced thinking and innovation to accelerate progress and tackle society’s most pressing problems.

G42 is driving change in the region and beyond, joining forces with nations, corporations and individuals to create the infrastructure for tomorrow’s world. From molecular medicine to space travel and everything in between, G42 realizes exponential possibilities, today.

For further information visit www.g42.ai.

About OceanX

Oceanographic Research & Exploration Foundation (OceanX) is a mission to support scientists to explore the ocean and to bring it back to the world through captivating media. Uniting leading media, science, and philanthropy partners, OceanX utilizes next-gen technology, fearless science, compelling storytelling, and immersive experiences to educate, inspire, and connect the world with the ocean and build a global community deeply engaged with understanding, enjoying, and protecting our oceans. OceanX is an initiative of Dalio Philanthropies, which furthers the diverse philanthropic interests of Dalio family members.

For more information visit www.oceanx.org and follow OceanX on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, TikTok and LinkedIn.

About Bayanat

Bayanat, an ADX listed public company with majority shareholding by G42, provides comprehensive world-class AI-powered geospatial solutions to a growing number of sectors such as Defense, Environment, Energy & Resources, Smart Cities and Transportation. It’s offering includes topographic, hydrographic and aeronautical products and charts, as well as spatial data surveying, analysis, management, modelling, visualization and cartography services. Bayanat’s solutions harness vast amounts of premium and unique data from a range of sources including Satellites, High Altitude Pseudo Satellites (HAPS) and Earth Observation powered by AI to drive geospatial intelligence (gIQ).

Source: Cyprus News Agency

The Confederal Group of the European United Left/Nordic Green Left in the European Parliament has pledged that the “Cyprus problem can only be solved on the agreed basis of a bi-communal bi-zonal federation with political equality, as this is prescribed in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions”.

The position was outlined on Friday by Left GUE/NGL Vice President Joao Pimenta Lopes during a press conference with AKEL General Secretary Stefanos Stefanou in Larnaca where the External Bureau Meeting is taking place.

Lopes said the group “remains faithful and steadfast in its position that the Cyprus problem can only be solved on the agreed basis of a bi-communal bi-zonal federation with political equality, as this is prescribed in the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions. Any other solution cannot work and cannot be accepted by us”, he pledged.

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