The reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation, in line with the European acquis and the UN established parameters, is the only path forward, said President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades on Thursday, speaking prior to the farewell lunch held at the Presidential Palace in honour of the Ambassadors and High Commissioners based in Cyprus, on the occasion of the completion of his mandate.
President Anastasiades began his address by expressing his condolences to the families of the victims of the recent devastating earthquakes in Syria and Turkey and in particular to the families of Turkish Cypriots who have lost their lives.
He added that to this end the Government decided last week to donate half a million euros in order to support the international assistance and aid efforts for the survivors in Turkey and Syria, and praised the significant humanitarian assistance offered by the people of Cyprus.
In view of the completion of his ten-year tenure, President Anastasiades extended the ambassadors and their governments his deepest appreciation and sincere thanks “for the close and fruitful cooperation we developed all these years to the benefit of our countries and peoples, both bilaterally, regionally and within international fora, such as the United Nations and the European Union.”
In the last decade, the Republic of Cyprus went through a series of financial and other crises, continued President Anastasiades, adding that the government took hard decisions of responsibility which led to a successful management of the crisis.
He added that the implementation of the right fiscal policy resulted in restoring the credibility of the Cypriot economy and in going forward with public and private investments channeled into new projects, as well as projects that had been idle for decades, enabling the state to be a leading nation worldwide in successfully countering both the financial and health consequences and effects of the pandemic that struck humanity in 2020.
Sadly, he continued, the global health ordeal was followed by the Russian invasion of Ukraine which has now reached its first year, resulting, in addition to the inflationary trends caused by the pandemic, in the need to deal with the negative economic effects from the sanctions rightfully imposed by the European Union and many other countries against Russia, which in turn brought about the energy crisis and consequent negative effects in many other sectors of the economy, with forecasts anticipating recession rather than growth.
In spite of all this and notwithstanding the negative financial consequences being recorded on a global scale, our small country has succeeded to manage them effectively, noted President Anastasiades, adding that the growth rate reached 5.8% in 2022, that is double the average EU rate, while for 2023, which is considered a recession year for most countries, growth in Cyprus is expected to range between 3-3.5%.
President Anastasiades then said that although he is fully aware that during his ten-year tenure mistakes were committed, he feels exceptionally proud that at the end of his term, as acknowledged by international independent bodies and world economic organizations, he shall be handing over a state that is economically robust, effective in managing and protecting the vulnerable groups of the population, a state with its own health system for all its citizens without exclusions, a state that through important reforms has reshaped its administrative structure, a state with a multilevel and reliable foreign policy, making Cyprus a pillar of stability and peace in the region and beyond.
?n addition, he made particular reference to the legacy of the national project “The Cyprus of Tomorrow”, a project that provides for the realization of another 58 reforms and 75 investments, with a financial impact of more than 4.4 billion euros and the subsequent creation of thousands of new jobs.
President Anastasiades said next that he feels deeply burdened by the fact that despite his tireless efforts, he will leave the Presidency with the country still divided due to the decades–long intransigent stance by Turkey, irrespective of the compromises and constructive proposals submitted.
He stressed that the only path ahead is “the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation in line with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions, international law and the EU values and principles”, adding that anything outside this context, such as Turkey’s position for a “two-state” solution would not only be detrimental for Cyprus and for all Cypriots, but also for the stability and security in the entire region, and would have global repercussions bearing in mind what is happening all over the world.
He said that in this respect the assistance from foreign governments and their ambassadors in Cyprus to reverse the current situation is and remains invaluable, and asked everyone not to lose sight on the Cyprus problem and work closely and constructively with the new President for a solution in line with the European acquis and the UN established parameters.
Concluding, President Anastasiades thanked all the ambassadors for the cooperation and for the undiminished support to the Republic of Cyprus and expressed his certainty that this cooperation and support will continue with the President elect, Nikos Christodoulides, a close associate of his who has served as Government Spokesman and Minister of Foreign Affairs respectively.
Meanwhile, the Palestinian Ambassador Abdallah Attari, who was also invited by the President of the Republic to the lunch, was not present due to the mourning of the 10 Palestinians killed yesterday during the Israeli army raid against the Palestinian town of Nablus in the northern West Bank. As reported, he met with President Anastasiades and bid him farewell prior to the lunch, expressing his thanks for his support. For his part, President Anastasiades expressed his condolences, according to the Ambassador.
Source: Cyprus News Agency