[PIO] The Government Spokesman briefed the media representatives

Government Spokesman Konstantinos Letibiotis briefed media representatives today, November 14, at the Presidential Palace.

In his statement, the Spokesman said: "The President of the Republic will have a telephone conversation this evening with the Secretary General of the United Nations, Mr António Guterres. As is known, the telephone conversation scheduled for yesterday was postponed due to the delay of the President's flight to Berlin.

During the telephone conversation, President Christodoulides will once again put before the UN Secretary General the need to appoint an envoy from his side as soon as possible. We note our positive response to the specific person proposed by the Secretary-General, a response which was given within 24 hours. We await official information as to the position of the Turkish side and the next steps towards the appointment of an envoy of the Secretary-General to explore the prospects for the resumption of negotiations on the Cyprus problem.

The President of the Republic will also discuss with the UN Secretary-General the latest developments in Pyla and will underline our commitment to the implementation of the provisions of the understanding - which are the result of thorough and intensive consultations - and that nothing other than the provisions of the understanding can be accepted from our side. The Republic of Cyprus, with sincere political will, has taken the initiative by mobilising diplomacy, resulting in the achievement of an understanding which, on the one hand, preserves the status of the buffer zone and prevents the violation of the status quo and, on the other hand, includes provisions which are beneficial to all the residents of Pyla, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. We expect the United Nations and the peacekeeping force to ensure the resumption of work in Pyla after the temporary pause requested by UNFICYP following the tension created by the occupation regime, since, as Assistant Secretary-General Mr. Jean-Pierre Lacroix stressed during his visit to the region, the implementation of the agreement reached is essential.

Finally, the President of the Republic will discuss with the UN Secretary General the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus to create a maritime corridor through Cyprus for the unimpeded delivery of humanitarian aid to Gaza. The discussion on the initiative follows a letter sent last week by the President of the Republic of Cyprus to the UN Secretary General, as well as to the President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen, in which he analyses and elaborates in detail the aspects of the implementation of the initiative. The complexity, size and scope of such an initiative requires the involvement and contribution of states, institutions and international organisations. The involvement of various UN bodies in the successful operation of the initiative is imperative - the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC), the Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) and the UN Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) play a role in facilitating coordination, monitoring and follow-up. As President Christodoulides stated in his letter, the Permanent Representative of Cyprus in New York stands ready to discuss and engage directly with the Deputy Secretary General for Humanitarian Affairs and Emergency Relief Coordinator, Mr. Martin Griffiths, in the steps leading up to the operational implementation of the proposal.

The President of the Republic will also inform the Secretary General about the outcome of the visit of a technical team from Cyprus to Israel, where specific technical elements of the implementation of the initiative were discussed and which will be further developed in the coming days.

In addition, as of today, November 14, 2023, the final solution of the electronic system of the Registry of Beneficial Owners, known internationally as UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner), will be implemented.

In addition, as of today, November 14, 2023, the final solution of the electronic system of the Registry of Beneficial Owners, known internationally as UBO (Ultimate Beneficial Owner), will be implemented.

The Register of Beneficial Owners, the creation of which is a requirement of the 4th and 5th Anti-Money Laundering Directives of the European Council, aims to prevent and combat money laundering and terrorist financing through enhanced transparency of information.

Through the increased transparency that will be achieved, this tool will provide the competent and supervisory authorities, such as the Anti-Counterfeiting Crime Unit (ACU), the Customs Department, the Tax Department, the Police, the European Commission, the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), the European Public Prosecutor's Office and others, immediate access to accurate and up-to-date information, facilitating and enhancing their efforts and actions to examine complex corporate structures in order to identify possible illegal activities.

The operation has been made possible as a result of collaboration between the Office of the Registrar of Companies, the Department of Energy, Trade and Industry and the Department of State for Research, Innovation and Digital Policy through the Department of Information Technology Services as project manager.

The project will be completed in three phases, with the first period starting from 14 November 2023 and ending on 31 December 2023, with the project expected to be completed in March 2024.

The Service and the registration process for beneficial owners can now be done online through the government portal Cylogin located on the State Gov.cy website.

The deadline for the second round of expressions of interest for participation in the Boards through the Advisory Council closed today at noon.

In particular, 24 expressions of interest have been submitted for the Council for Registration and Control of Contractors, Construction and Technical Works, 118 for the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, 83 for the Cyprus Land Development Agency and 35 for the Licensing Authority.

At the same time, we remind you that the process of the 3rd and final round of this phase is underway since Monday 6 November, concerning the expression of interest for membership of the Boards of Directors of the Cyprus Electricity Authority, the Cyprus Sports Organisation, the Town Planning Council and the Cyprus Radio and Television Foundation.

Expressions of interest will be posted at gnomodotiko.gov.cy and on the websites of the respective Ministries and the expression of interest for these four organisations will be open until 20 November at 12 noon.

We once again invite our fellow citizens who are interested in contributing to the work of these organizations to express their interest."

(PM/AF/ASP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source