It is indeed a great pleasure to be here today in Xylofagou, a community with which I have long had ties and will continue to have with friends and colleagues, with people who love both the land and their community. I am here to inaugurate a project that is an obligation of the State to its citizens, but I must confess, also a request of the Community Leader and the Community Council to which we have responded and as a result of close cooperation we have been able to inaugurate today.
I have listened with great attention, my friend the Community Leader, to the projection of the various requests or some of the problems that you face. I have looked to the Minister and he got the message, and I am now looking to the Cabinet Secretary to see what he is going to do with some people in the Planning Department - of course, and it will be taken in every direction - to see how the community centre is being implemented, so that when I unveil the heroes' bust or the memorial, I will also be able to lay the foundation for the centre.
On the issue of the Bases, let me remind you that for the first time since the 1960s significant tracts of land have been made possible as a result of an agreement that I reached with David Cameron when he was Prime Minister in 2014, finally as a result of the procedures, the bureaucracies that were followed and the planning that had to be done, have been released this year.
The assurance on the request that I have heard is that within the next six months the request you have for the Church of Our Lady will also be met.
Projects amounting to 1 million 600 thousand euros have been carried out in the community.
By way of example only, I note:
- The restoration of the old nursery school into a Cultural Centre in Xylophagou.
- The completion of a multi-purpose hall, the extension and improvements at Xylofagou Primary School.
- The operation of an ambulance station.
- The improvement of the road network and the water supply network of the community.
Of course, I have also heard the request regarding the issue of staffing the Fire Station. I will check with the Chief Fire Chief on how with the new hires that have been made it can be staffed so that it can operate on a 24-hour basis.
I want to assure you that our main concern is to see our communities prosper, to see our hardworking people rewarded as they should be.
We have taken a number of measures and I think I am not exaggerating by any means - if you look at the transformations in cities, the transformations in communities, the projects that are being executed, projects in excess of five billion euros, either executed or being executed, road projects connecting major roads, cities to the countryside, projects that have been drawn up to give incentives for development, in every way and at every opportunity we want to create conditions that allow us - in eight months when I leave, to say that after a decade I finally feel that something has been done for the better.
There is no doubt that every Government, every President is trying. I am referring to our efforts, without underestimating anyone else's efforts.
What I want to reiterate is that fair demands (are met), depending also on the economic situations and circumstances - as you know we have faced since 2013 a series of crises, financial crisis, pandemic. Just when we were about to take off or find our destination again, the unacceptable happened: the invasion of Ukraine. And so we are all facing problems that involve either inflationary trends or price increases.
On the way here I had met a group of potato growers who rightly expressed a request to see how we could deal with the increase in diesel fuel, to see how effectively they were dealing with the problem and the cost of production.
We have always stood by, not just potato growers, but the whole farming community, particularly potato growers, and we will continue to do so because it is a primary production sector that should be supported and will be supported.
I have given the assurance and we will find ways to help address this crisis as well.
Finally, I would like to mention that since 2020, when the appointment system in the Centres was introduced, 78 thousand citizens have been served. For this, I would like to warmly congratulate the Postal Directorate and those who have contributed and assisted in making the Post Offices become the companions of the Citizen Service Offices and turning most of the post offices into Citizen Service Centres. It is a service that enhances the quality of life and makes life easier for citizens, so I feel the need to thank you and encourage you to continue your efforts. You will always have the support of the Government.
I thank the Chairman and members of the Community Council for the initiatives that they are taking, for trying to see the community grow and primarily serve the thousands of residents, because it has essentially become an urban centre today in Xylofagou, and therefore it is also our obligation to stand by and lend our ears to the appeals of the Local Authorities.
I am happy because we are inaugurating a project for the benefit of all residents.
(PM/SX)
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