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- Ελληνικά
This morning, in the presence of the President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides, the ceremony of confirmation of the new Ministers of Defence Mr.Vassilis Palmas, Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment Ms.Maria Panayiotou, Justice and Public Order Mr. Mr. Marios Hartsiotis, Mr. Michalis Damianos, the Deputy Minister of Research, Innovation and Digital Policy Mr. Nicodemus Damianos and the Commissioners for the Environment Ms. Antonia Thodosiou, Citizen Mr. Panagiotis Palate and Mountain Communities Mr. Charalambos Christofinas.
After assuring the new members of the Government, the President of the Republic in his speech said the following.
An ambitious and bold Programme that is centred on people and their better quality of life in their daily lives, in all policy areas.
I address the new members of the Government, the newly appointed Ministers, Deputy Ministers and Commissioners, with respect and an exhortation: Work tirelessly, with appetite, study, inform yourselves on all issues in your portfolio and rely on the experienced and hard-working technocrats. Always have up-to-date knowledge of the issues in your portfolio and be in touch with the citizens and all those affected by our policies.
The position you are assuming is a position of duty, of service to the citizen and the public interest, and requires dedication and personal sacrifice. It also requires you to be a model leader, not only in terms of your hard work, but also in terms of your ethics. Remember that our judge is the people, our compass is the Constitution, the laws in force and our European and international obligations. We are all accountable only to the Cypriot people and to no one else, we serve the public and not the private interest and we will be judged by the result. Our task is by no means easy and when the old is changed, the resistance to those who are used to it or to those it serves is great. I am sure that this will not frighten you.
I also wish to publicly thank the outgoing members of the government formation for the cooperation we had, but also for the courage to participate in a government formation without given party support and with an ambitious and innovative programme. I am grateful for their effort and dedication and I sincerely wish them a good continuation and success in achieving their goals.
I would like to take this opportunity to express my satisfaction and thank my Ministers and colleagues for the very important work that has been produced in just ten months and for the fact that solutions to chronic problems that plague the citizen have already been launched. Solutions to improve the quality of life of citizens and support for households and businesses.
Very indicatively, in these first ten months, among many others. [*] We settled the issue of the Automatic Price Adjustment (ATA), which benefits 180,000 workers in the private and public sectors, ensuring industrial peace. [*] We improved the operation of the Accident and Emergency Department (AED) of Nicosia General Hospital and proceeded with the operation of private AEDs in Nicosia and Limassol. [*] We promoted the new student assessment system. [*] We started piloting the institution of the nurse in schools in remote areas. [*] We tackled the problem of dangerous blocks of flats in refugee settlements through the "BuildingZO" programme, at a total cost of €110 million. [*] We announced and are implementing the Single Housing Policy, one of the largest in intensity and scope policies in our country, to ensure affordable housing by buying or renting. [*] We are supporting households from the consequences of poverty through actions totalling €196 million. [*] We have implemented a holistic approach to migration, bringing measurable results, making our country an unattractive destination. [*] We completed and strengthened the legislative framework regulating the problem of divestment, providing a safety net for our vulnerable citizens. [*] We implemented the Rent for Rent Scheme to protect the primary residence of vulnerable households. [*] We exempted food and basic necessities from VAT. [*] We established the Advisory Council for appointments to the Boards of Directors of Semi-State Organizations through a transparent and merit-based process, ending decades of outdated practices. [*] We put into operation what we promised, the electronic platform for the Solidarity Fund. [*] We reinstated what we promised, the Poaching Scarf. [*] We pushed forward improvement projects to address prison overcrowding. [*] We moved forward with the establishment and staffing of a dedicated Environmental Control Division. [/LIST]
You are now members of the Government. Members of a strong team of able and whole people who have taken on the task of implementing an innovative program that puts people at the center. His health, his education, his work, his security.
The portfolios you are taking on are vitally important for citizens, they concern their lives, they concern their rights, goods, services and opportunities that every modern, prosperous state must offer its citizens. Some are self-evident, but for years without implementation.
You must remember every day that your areas of activity in today's changing environment, with its many problems and challenges, affect the daily life and the future of every citizen. Every small positive step on your part will be the harbinger of tomorrow's great change that will benefit our state and all citizens.
It was said that: "True generosity to the future is to give it all to the present." And I have no doubt that this is what you will do, with a sense and acts of responsibility, duty and dedication. To this end, I invite you to work together with all organised groups, independent officials, social partners, and of course the political forces and the legislature. Close your ears to the sirens - that is what I am doing - sirens of all kinds, and devote yourselves only to carrying out your work in the public interest. Close your ears to baseless criticism, seek constructive criticism and do not be distracted from our objectives. For our government, it is a one-way street: work and only work. By it we are judged only by the people every day. When our policies are implemented and are beneficial to the people, that and that alone will be our reward.
My Dear Ones, you assume your duties with the weight of the high expectations of mine, but above all the high demands of the Cypriot people. Moreover, you are taking office in a year in which, unfortunately, 50 years have passed since the unacceptable Turkish invasion and continued occupation. Fifty years of tragic consequences of illegal division in our country. At the same time, in May we will also face the historic milestone of 20 years of our accession to the European Union, the greatest success since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
The solution of the Cyprus problem is our top priority and an unfulfilled national desire. That is why from the very first moment I have been making every effort to break the deadlock, to resume the talks, to create prospects for a comprehensive solution and reunification. It is with optimism, and without ignoring the challenges, that we face the appointment of Ms. María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar as Personal Envoy of the United Nations Secretary-General to Cyprus, and we continue to work hard at all levels. With a credible and proud foreign policy, a strengthened defence, an active role in our turbulent region and, of course, the implementation of policies that will strengthen our state, economy, business and the rule of law internally, we will achieve all that we have promised the Cypriot people.
The portfolios you are taking on today, important in terms of our priorities, are very demanding. We have laid very good foundations, but the challenges remain. I want to institutionalise social consultation so that citizens can participate in our plans, through a model of participatory governance, as the needs of the times demand and as our country deserves.
In March 2023, I took over the governance of the country with a full sense of responsibility and absolute dedication, and I was fortunate to have selected competent and integral partners and members of the Cabinet. I take this opportunity today, as we welcome the new Members and Commissioners, to publicly thank them all. I have previously referred telegraphically to the work that we have done to date with excellent cooperation and diligence, and I have no doubt that the early indications are that from today we are moving forward with you even more strongly.
I am leading an innovative government that has a clear plan and will take Cyprus, as promised, forward and upwards, with pride.
The work that has already been achieved in education, in immigration, in the economy, in employment, makes me even more optimistic about the results you will see in the future. Let the old resist and work without expecting any reward. Reward will only come through society seeing the results of our work. I repeat that only there we are accountable.
We remain committed to our work which will be beneficial to the many and not the few and based on the principles of transparency, meritocracy and justice.
You all know well that we carry no weight or dependence. Our goal is the now and the people and we have no hidden agenda.
That is why we have extended a hand of friendship and cooperation to all parties and political forces, because yes, we believe in collectivity and in the results of cooperation.
In conclusion, I would like to address the new and old members of the Government and all my colleagues. The months are passing and the work must be produced unhindered. With dedication and ethics, with determination and boldness. For the Cyprus we deserve."
On behalf of the new members of the Government, the Minister of Defence, Mr. Vassilis Palmas, said the following. It is with a sense of high responsibility that we assume today the portfolios you have entrusted to us, recognizing that these tasks reflect the trust that the Cypriot people themselves have placed in you.
With full dedication, good governance and a focus on people, we will implement the governance programme, which is essentially the social contract that you have signed with the people.
The implementation of the programme will be our primary objective and ambition, always guided by the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the laws in force and the international treaties to which we as a state are committed.
Knowing very well that the power we have in our hands comes from the people themselves, our duty is the social benefit and not the service of the few. Our aim is to govern with transparency and accountability, gaining the trust of the Cypriot people and leading our country to progress and prosperity.
In the current era, with such difficult circumstances and the plethora of challenges we all have to face, it is our conviction that with dedication to duty, hard work and perseverance of effort, we will prove ourselves worthy of civil society.
As we assume our duties today, we are also called upon to contribute with all our strength to the liberation and reunification of our country.
Fully aware of the weight of our mission, we promise to live up to your expectations and to this highest honour you do to each and every one of us individually."
(PM/NG/EATH)
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