[PIO] Statements by the President of the Republic

"I extend a hand of friendship to all so that we work together to face all challenges," President of the Republic Nicos Christodoulides said tonight, referring to the passage of bills on divestment by the House of Representatives.

In his remarks to journalists, while attending the inauguration of the NOUS Urban Sustainability Hub, and asked about the passage of bills by the House of Representatives on the issue of divestments, the President of the Republic said: "I am particularly pleased because after so many years we had the passage today. On the one hand, the Government's targeted and very well thought-out proposal, but at the same time the proposals made by some parliamentary parties - and I want to salute their responsible attitude - led to this result, which removes a difficult issue from all that we have to manage, which touches on fiscal discipline, the economy in general, and the prospects for our country.

I want to take the opportunity of what happened today, and as someone who understands that he has no party identity, no support, no home, to send the message that together we can - for my part, the readiness is manifest and the intention should not be questioned by anyone - work collectively to address, on the one hand, all these challenges that we have, which are too many, but at the same time, through addressing these challenges, to create prospects for the benefit of all the Cypriot people.

The challenges and problems have neither party identity nor party colour nor ideological nuance and only if we work together can we bring results that will give hope and perspective to the entire Cypriot people. So, on the occasion of the vote, I would like to welcome this development, the responsible attitude of the parties and extend a hand of friendship to all, so that we work together to face all challenges."

Asked whether he will now proceed with the appointment of a financial and economic commissioner, the President of the Democrats replied. Of course. We will proceed immediately with the appointment as well. We think it is a very important institution, it plays a key role in addressing the difficulties of vulnerable groups - those who are really in need - and at the same time all those strategic defaulters, who were actually taking advantage of the fact that this framework was not in place, to meet their obligations."

Asked if he has decided on which person to appoint, the President said: "I already have two or three persons in mind from which I will choose one."

Asked where we stand in relation to the Cyprus issue following the meeting between the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, and the President of Turkey, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, about which he was briefed by Mitsotakis, the President of the Republic said: "He informed me. The Greek Prime Minister has informed me. I am aware that I cannot tell you what the Greek Prime Minister said. I can tell you that in the next 24 hours I will also have a telephone conversation with the Secretary General (SG) of the United Nations (UN). On Monday I will have the opportunity to see Mr. Tatar in a social meeting. I hope we will also have the opportunity to discuss the prospect of the resumption of talks, and I think with the appointment, when it is announced - I do not know officially the reaction of the Turkish side - we will work to create the prospects for the resumption of talks. I can tell you that from our side - with a clear goal, with a clear orientation of where we want to go - we will do everything possible to achieve the goal of resuming the talks."

Asked to say whether something different emerges after Mitsotakis' meeting with Erdoğan or whether we are on the same denominator, the President of the Republic said: "There is nothing to say publicly. Everything and all of us will be judged by the results."

Asked about his telephone conversation with the UN Secretary General, the President of the Republic said: "In relation to the Cyprus problem, this is what he will be concerned about, I asked for it, as well as in relation to the maritime humanitarian corridor. This tragedy continues in our region, it is tragic and it must stop immediately. All that we are seeing, the civilian population, so many victims. At the same time humanitarian aid should be stepped up, we should do everything possible as an international community because there are people who are really suffering."

Asked to comment on "a Sigma document showing Turkish military actions in the buffer zone of Deryneia," the President said: "It is known - I commented on it yesterday - that we have these increased actions on the part of Turkey in the buffer zone. It is something that I will also discuss with the UN Secretary General, I mentioned it to him during the brief conversation we had in the United Arab Emirates last week, it is something that concerns us. Our focus at the moment on this particular issue is to take all those actions to avoid creating a feeling of insecurity among the people of the region."

Asked if he could refer to these actions, the President replied "No. I also received criticism when I referred to some measures that are visible and some that will not be seen by the people of the area, and this was one of the reasons why I recently visited the Agios Dometios area personally to see the implementation of these measures and their effectiveness."

(PM/MS/AF/NZ)
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