Fellow countrymen and women
Dear Friends,
I am addressing you today, for the first time since taking office as President of the Republic of Cyprus, on the occasion of the Resurrection of the Lord and the Easter holidays.
First of all, from the bottom of my heart I extend to all of you my sincere wishes for health, strength, prosperity, personal and family happiness.
May the Resurrection Light and the hopeful messages of the greatest feast of Orthodoxy, where light overcomes darkness and faith in good is justified, bring joy and blessing to each and every one, in every household.
Unfortunately, for yet another year, the Resurrection bells will not ring freely throughout our country tonight. Many of our compatriots will once again be deprived of the joy of the feast in their towns and villages. With much of our homeland still under the occupation of Turkish troops, our homeland de facto divided, our fellow countrymen refugees continue to be forcibly kept away from their ancestral homes, the families of the missing continue to seek vindication and clarification of the fate of their loved ones, while all our stranded people will receive the Resurrection Light under the restrictions of the occupying regime.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Dear Friends,
Since the first day of my election I have been working on the basis of a concrete plan so that we may soon succeed in breaking the deadlock and resume negotiations from the point where they were interrupted. Always on the agreed basis of a solution as well as the acquis of the talks from the previous years of negotiations. The current illegal status quo cannot be the solution to the Cyprus problem and is not the future we envision for our homeland, for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins and all legal residents of our island.
With a view to relaunching the talks, I have already made a concrete proposal on how the European Union can contribute to the efforts of the United Nations, with a more active engagement and a leading role, not only to break the current deadlock, but also for the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation, with political equality, as outlined in the UN resolutions, the High Level Agreements, the convergences recorded so far, the European acquis and the principles and values of the EU.
At the same time, as a Government we are working to maintain and strengthen the competitiveness of the Cypriot economy, to create conditions for further growth on the basis of a specific programme with medium and long-term objectives for a new development model that will further strengthen our country.
We are working for a growth model that will have People at its centre, with an expansion of the productive base of the economy that will be based more on research and innovation, on technology and innovation, and on the development of the economy.
We are working for a model of growth that will have People at its centre, with an expansion of the productive base of the economy that will be based more on research and innovation, on technology and innovation. We are working for a balanced development both in our cities and in our countryside and a rapid transition to the green era.
We aim to implement reforms already decided and work to promote new ones, necessary for the modernisation of our country. Our priority is People, education, education, health, work, the daily life of all our fellow human beings, parents, single parents and large families, people with disabilities, our pensioners. High on our priorities is the new generation of our country, the future of our homeland and the creation of substantial hope and prospects for a better tomorrow for all the Cypriot people.
In a difficult time, with efforts at international and European level to address and contain inflationary trends, as a Government our concern remains the protection of vulnerable groups of the population in particular. Nothing is easy, there are many challenges and all that needs to be done. There are no magic solutions, but I want you to be assured that our every decision will be taken with everyone's support in mind and we will make every effort for holistic development with benefits for all our people.
At this time when the Light of the Resurrection is reverently spreading throughout Orthodox Christianity throughout the world, the message of Love, of the prevalence of life over death, of light over darkness, our thoughts are with all those who are suffering and those peoples who are suffering from the evils of war. We also sympathise with and stand by the Ukrainian people, who are unfortunately still suffering the consequences of the illegal Russian invasion. I would like to take this opportunity to express my wishes for an end to the war and the restoration of justice and peace in Ukraine. On these bright days, let us be an example of love by reaching out and celebrating, not only with our families, but also with our fellow human beings who are most in need. At the same time, let us wish, reviving within us the hope that the Lord's Resurrection will also bring to Cyprus liberation and reunification through a lasting, viable and workable solution, which will truly reunite the people and where all legal residents will enjoy all their human rights and basic freedoms.
May the cross of Cyprus and the long Calvary of our refugees find its Resurrection very soon and may the resurrection bells ring out from every corner of our homeland.
Happy Resurrection, Happy Easter and Merry Christmas to all.
(PM/EF/MB)
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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