Nicosia: President of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, addressed the Council of Ministers on Thursday, focusing on the recent Intergovernmental Summit with Greece and the progress towards securing US visa waivers for Cypriot passport holders.
According to Cyprus News Agency, President Christodoulides expressed gratitude to the government members for their efforts in preparing the 2nd Intergovernmental Summit with Greece. He emphasized that the summit’s outcomes are not merely symbolic but have practical implications for improving citizens’ daily lives. The President highlighted specific initiatives like the e-Citizen program, crucial discussions on medicines, desalination, transplants, the emergency 112 line, and internal governance as priorities that emerged from the summit.
The President also noted a significant advancement regarding US visa requirements for Cypriot citizens. The visa refusal rate for Cypriots has fallen below the 3% threshold, a critical requirement for participation in the US visa waiver
program. He urged continued efforts to ensure that Cypriot passport holders can travel to the US without visas by early next year.
President Christodoulides concluded by encouraging the ministers to maintain momentum in reaching these objectives, underscoring the importance of fulfilling the commitments made for the benefit of the Cypriot people.