We will continue to work with our neighbouring countries to exploit the potential of our region and thus contribute to the EU's objectives in the field of Energy, Government Spokesman Marios Pelekanos said today.
Speaking to reporters from the Nicosia Mall, where an event was held for the Cyprus Tomorrow Plan, the Spokesperson, referring to the event, said that it is important to promote the plan, which concerns all citizens, noting that it was designed by Cypriots for Cypriots.
He added that through the plan, more than 4 billion euros will flow into the Cypriot economy, aiming to implement reforms and development projects in areas such as Health, Education, Employment, etc.
He also pointed out that the plan is the legacy of the Anastasiades government to future generations.
Moreover, asked to comment on the ongoing Turkish provocations in Famagusta, the Spokesman said that "we see a continuation of these provocative statements that we have been hearing all along. Of course, the Government, the President of the Republic, the Foreign Minister, through diplomatic channels, we are taking all necessary actions and steps to prevent any new illegal action from happening, whether it concerns the EEZ or our territory or the enclosed area of Famagusta."
Asked about this, he said that "there is stagnation at the moment in the Cyprus problem due to the ongoing and overt Turkish intransigence, we see a new revisionist behaviour, much more aggressive than before on the part of Turkey, not only against the Republic of Cyprus, but also in the Aegean, in Libya, in Nakorno Karabakh and elsewhere.
We are called upon as Cyprus - and this is what we are doing - to act proactively, in order to prevent the creation of any new fait accompli, but at the same time to work in such a way that we create the conditions to return to the dialogue table," Pelecanos said.
He added that the other side, after Tatar's elevation to the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community, continues to demand recognition of equal rights to the illegal entity before accepting any step in the Cyprus problem, which will not be accepted from our side.
He noted that "we will continue to work and intensify our efforts with the aim of resuming the dialogue within the framework set by the Security Council resolutions. And it is within this framework that efforts are being made by the President of the Republic, such as his meetings with the President of France, with the Chancellor of Germany, with the other eight leaders of the EU's Mediterranean states.
We have also seen the Joint Declaration of the EUMED9 Summit, which we are very pleased with, because it makes it clear that this claim to change the basis of the solution will not be accepted.
And this is what we will do until the last day of President Anastasiades' term of office. Pelecanos said that "regarding the appointment of the SG envoy, it is a decision of the SG himself, a decision that was communicated to both sides more than a year ago, and he had discussed it in September 2021 in New York. Since then it has remained pending. It is positive that we have the involvement of senior UN officials like Mr. Yegia. But yes, we believe that if he goes ahead with the appointment then there could be a better preparation of the ground. As far as EU engagement is concerned, some time should be given, just a few weeks ago the President's meetings with the leaders of France and Germany took place, the day before yesterday the President's discussion with the leaders of the EU Mediterranean states took place. This discussion will continue and it is important to use this period before the elections in Turkey to prepare the ground so that we can take the next step immediately after the elections in Turkey.
Asked about the issue of energy and the possibility for Cyprus to contribute to Europe's decoupling from Russian gas, which was discussed at the EUMED9 Summit, the Spokesperson said that "the states in our region, that is, apart from Cyprus, Israel, Israel, Egypt, Lebanon, and other states, all show a good willingness to cooperate in order to exploit our region and contribute to the EU's goals of decoupling from Russian fossil fuels, oil and gas. Unfortunately, Turkey is still not cooperating, continues to threaten Cyprus and illegally claims part of our EEZ. However, this will not prevent the efforts we are making in cooperation with other neighbouring states and we can all work together to exploit the potential that our region offers in terms of gas deposits or renewable energy sources or hydrogen and electrical interconnections.
We already see the electrical interconnection between Cyprus - Israel - Greece and, by extension, Europe with the Euroasia Interconnector moving forward and in this direction we will continue to work with our neighbouring countries in order to exploit the potential that our region offers and to contribute to the EU's objectives."
(PM/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
Source[/P]
