A review of the cooperation so far between the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works and the European Investment Bank (EIB) was held today by the Minister in charge, Mr.Yannis Karousos, and the Vice-President of the Bank, Ms.Lilyana Pavlova. At the same time, the prospect of continuing and strengthening cooperation between the two sides for the implementation of other important projects for Cyprus was also discussed.
In statements after the meeting, the Transport Minister noted that the discussion focused on the existing cooperation between the Ministry and the EIB, under which an agreement for a 112 million euro loan was signed a few months ago, through which projects such as the Limassol-Saitta motorway, the Paphos-Polis Chrysochous motorway, the Nicosia Perimeter Motorway and the Photolabelling System have been financed.
"Apart from the existing cooperation we have had, we also discussed the possible financing of new projects of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works or that we have undertaken to implement, such as the new Cyprus Museum in Nicosia, which is the largest project we currently have on offer with a budget of 120 million euros. We have various road safety projects or even other motorways that we have on offer, such as that of Astromeritis-Founder," Karousos said.
He added that issues related to sustainable urban mobility and the environment in relation to transport were discussed. It is known, he said, that a significant part of the responsibility for reducing pollutants in Cyprus lies with the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, since 50% of our country's pollutants come from transport.
He expressed confidence that the good cooperation that has been developed with the European Investment Bank will continue and will be strengthened.
For her part, Ms Lilyana Pavlova, Vice-President of the European Investment Bank, speaking in English, thanked the Minister of Transport for the constructive meeting, noting that the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works is an important partner of the EIB. The Bank, Ms Pavlova said, is supporting Cyprus in the implementation of the project concerning the construction of the National Roads Network and referred to the signing of the relevant loan agreement for the National Roads III project.
Referring to the actions launched for 2022, Ms Pavlova explained that support for road network improvements such as motorways and sustainable urban mobility will continue, with a particular focus on road safety, which is an important part of the financing offered by the EIB.
In addition to investment in the creation of a safe road network, cooperation between the two parties will be strengthened in the context of financing for the construction of the new Cyprus Museum and the State Chemistry Museum, the EIB Vice-President said.
Finally, Ms Pavlova expressed her hope that the important projects promoted by the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works will be successfully completed.
(MKY)
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