The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, expressed the hope that similar measures taken in other countries due to the coronavirus pandemic will be avoided in Cyprus.
In his statements to journalists, while addressing the annual General Assembly of the Union of Municipalities, and asked whether there is any thought of asking for the resignation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in case he does not run in the internal party procedures for the Presidential Elections, as mentioned in some reports, the President of the Republic said that "what I know is that I will be President until 28 February 2023. Other than that, I do not concern myself with those who deal with the Presidential Elections."
Asked if he has been considering former Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides to take the post of Foreign Minister, as claimed by some reports, the President said "I do not concern myself with what is written. My decisions are made at the time and when I have to."
Asked if he intends to resubmit the budget legislation or part of it concerning his four colleagues, the President said "we will study".
In response to a reporter's comment that information suggests he had a meeting with the Attorney General on the matter, the President said that "I am under the impression that the Cabinet Secretary has already been briefed and we are awaiting the budget, that is, the legislation as it has finally been drafted, to study any possibilities."
Asked to give a message to the people ahead of the holidays and in relation to the course of the pandemic, President Anastasiades said that "what is being recorded globally is an outbreak. We therefore need everyone's attention. If you compare what is happening in Cyprus with what is happening either in Europe or in the rest of the world, you will see that we are trying in every way possible to manage the freedoms of the citizen, of the professionals, in the best possible way. But what is important for both citizens and professionals to realise is that if certain measures are not respected, we will inevitably lead to stricter ones. Because what matters is the health of each of us, of each of our fellow human beings, but at the same time, of course, the economic survival of businesses, workers, self-employed people and, by extension, of course, the state.
Asked if a possible lockdown is on the horizon, the President said that "hopefully we will avoid similar measures that other countries have taken."
Asked if the effort to appoint a UN special envoy for the Cyprus problem is now finite, the President said "if we are talking about until the end of the year, yes. I hope that at some point both the SG and those involved and the EU will realize that the unacceptable situation, the unacceptable claims, the provocative actions of Turkey, which certainly do not comply with any resolution or article of the UN Convention, cannot continue."
(PM/EX)
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