I am particularly happy that this year this great Wine Festival and the parallel trade fair organized with such success by the newspaper "Paroikakiaki" is taking place. Unfortunately, due to my official trip to the United States, I was unable to attend this very important event, which we as the Expatriate Service support.
The coronavirus pandemic has deprived us of this joy, the greatest celebration of our community here, as it has deprived us of other joys and opportunities in life, including contact with our families and other loved ones.
And yet, after two years, we have the pleasure of holding the Wine Festival event in London again, which has evolved from a small event with limited participation and narrow interest into the largest economic and social event of the community, becoming a tradition and an institution.
Certainly, this has taken a lot of hard work and dedication on the part of the organisers, who deserve all our praise and congratulations. And it is no coincidence that this event has been maintained for decades, upgraded and supported by the Cypriot state.
There is too much that can be underlined in order to emphasize the great benefit of organizing such a beautiful annual event. It is the attraction of the interest of many foreigners who wish to experience first hand the comparative advantages of our country, there is much more.
In particular, however, this event promotes our tradition and progress in the wine sector, in which Cyprus has an age-old tradition. And we should certainly all feel proud, because our small country is the oldest cradle of the vine in today's Europe, with Cypriots being the first to produce wine on the old continent almost 5,000 years ago, and with our comandaria being the oldest branded wine in the world.
The organisation of the event is also of great importance for our community, as it gives second, third and fourth generation Cypriots born and raised in Britain the opportunity to learn about an important part of our culture, as through the programme of the event, customs and traditions that are closely linked to our roots are revived.
Maintaining strong links with our younger generation of expatriates is a top priority for us, and this among the many programmes, goals and objectives of our national strategy to harness the many potentials of our diaspora.
As the person responsible for expatriate affairs, I can assure you that we have a full understanding of the needs as well as the great potential of our younger generation of expatriates. We are promoting and enriching programmes and actions to encourage the involvement of young people in community life and develop their more frequent contact and acquaintance with Cyprus, with an emphasis on learning our language, history and culture.
We consider our expatriates as a key pillar of our strategy and aspirations. They are the best of our ambassadors and we underline this at every opportunity with due gratitude.
At the heart of these efforts is, of course, our national issue. The goal of liberation and reunification of our homeland, without occupation troops, without guarantees and interventionist rights of third countries. We seek a solution that leads our country to a new era of peace, security and prosperity for all its citizens.
Unfortunately, in recent times we have been experiencing a period of particular hardening of the attitude of the Turkish leadership with its revisionism and neo-Ottoman mentality. We are witnessing a policy and tactics that is in strong conflict with international law and challenges the sentiments of every democratic people.
In any case, we will continue to vigorously and resolutely promote our rights with the support and solidarity of the European Union and, more broadly, of those countries that condemn Turkey's arrogance and aggression and fight for the prevalence of international law.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would like once again to congratulate in particular the organizers of this event for the promotion and promotion of modern Cypriot wine, the newspaper "Paroikiakiaki" and especially its General Manager and friend Pambos Charalambous for the successful organization of the 38th in a row Cyprus Wine Festival and the parallel trade fair in London.
This is underlined by the large attendance of distinguished guests, as well as by the participation of a large number of members of the community and many other visitors who will, I am sure, particularly enjoy the festival, the quality Cypriot wine and its rich varieties, as well as everything else included in the programme of the festival.
I wish every success in the objectives of the event, as well as all the best to the organisers of the event and to all those present and their families.
Note:The greeting was read on behalf of the Commissioner for the Presidency by the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus in London, Mr.
/SX
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