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The Government Spokesman Mr. Konstantinos Letibiotis briefed the media at the Presidential Palace today.
In his opening statement at the media briefing, Mr. Letybiotis said: "The Turkish occupation regime is attempting to provoke new facts within the buffer zone, in the St. Dometios area this time. On Monday afternoon, a number of soldiers of the Turkish occupation forces entered the buffer zone in the St. Dometius area, while a small group of soldiers installed a metal mast on an unoccupied house, known as "Maria's House", on which a rotating camera and an antenna were placed. It is noted that in the previous days the occupying forces had also electrified the house in support of the aforementioned installation.
This is yet another attempt to violate the status quo. The Government of Cyprus regards the incident as a serious and continuing violation of the buffer zone. We are in constant contact with the peacekeeping force to restore the situation to where it was before yesterday's events.
We stress the seriousness of the violation and the negative consequences of the occupying regime's plans both for the prospect of resuming negotiations on the Cyprus problem and in Euro-Turkish relations. We expect the Peacekeeping Force to restore the status of the buffer zone in accordance with its terms of reference, which derive in particular from United Nations Security Council Resolution 186 (1964).
On Thursday 30 November, the President of the Republic will travel to Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE), where he will participate in the work of the UN Climate Summit, COP28.
COP28 focuses on the implementation of existing initiatives and commitments in order to achieve the objectives of the Paris Agreement. Significant progress was made during the climate negotiations at COP27 in Egypt, with major initiatives and declarations aimed at intensifying global efforts to achieve the goals of the Paris Agreement, and as such, this year's session is seen as paramount to take up a number of important issues that had been raised and achieve balanced progress on all key agenda items.
The UN Climate Change Summit, which will begin on Thursday and run until December 12 in the UAE, is expected to see a record-breaking attendance of over 70,000 officials and delegates, according to the UAE presidency. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres is also expected to be present.
The President of the Republic will refer to the rapid impact of climate change on Cyprus and the Eastern Mediterranean, which is a region that will be greatly affected by climate change. President Christodoulides will elaborate on the steps taken to implement the regional action plan to address climate change in the Eastern Mediterranean region, in the context of the Cyprus Climate Change Initiative presented on the margins of last year's COP27.
The main points to be discussed at COP28 are the acceleration of actions to address the climate crisis through cooperation between governments, private actors and civil societies. Points which our country fully supports in line with the text of the conclusions adopted by the European Council on 17 October.
The report published ahead of the COP28 climate negotiations states that climate change has already taken billions out of the global economy - with developing countries most affected - estimating that the effects of anthropogenic climate change reduced global economic output by 6.3% last year, taking population into account.
The numbers reflect both the direct effects of climate change - fluctuations in agriculture and manufacturing, as well as reduced productivity due to higher temperatures - and the impact on global trade and investment.
The Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus has created the website diakivernisi.gov.cy as part of the implementation of President Nicos Christodoulides' programmatic positions to enhance transparency and accountability, as well as to promote participatory democracy.
Through this website, citizens will have the opportunity to be informed about policy decisions and measures taken by the Government.
In the first phase, diakivernisi.gov.cy will serve as the central digital reference point for the Government's actions and policies. At this stage, citizens can be informed about the package of measures announced by the Government to address the issue of poverty, as well as the Action Plans of the Ministries and Deputy Ministries for the year 2024, as presented, and in the context of the budget.
diakivernisi.gov.cy will be continuously developed, updated and enhanced in order to become a digital portal for two-way communication between the Government and society. The Government's desire is to contribute to strengthening the relationship of trust with citizens and to promote the building of a more transparent, accountable and participatory state.
As the Government, we welcome the unanimous passage into law by the House of Representatives of the appointment and powers of the Deputy Minister of State for European Affairs, in view of the assumption of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2026.
As the Government, we welcome the unanimous passage into law by the House of Representatives of the appointment and powers of the Deputy Minister of State for European Affairs, in view of the assumption of the Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2026.
The Deputy Minister of State for European Affairs will be responsible for the preparations for the conduct of the Cyprus Presidency. Taking into account the experience gained during the first Cyprus Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2012, the overall supervision, preparation and conduct of the Cyprus Presidency will be the exclusive responsibility of the Deputy Minister who will have overall political oversight, as well as political representation in institutions and bodies, in cooperation and consultation with the relevant Ministers.
We are aiming for another successful Cyprus Presidency, whose six months will be a milestone not only for our country but also for the entire EU. The establishment of an ambitious, concrete and realistic plan of priorities will contribute to a successful Presidency that will further strengthen the vision of European integration based on the principles and values of our European family.
We call on the House of Representatives to pass into law as soon as possible the establishment of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration, Asylum and Integration, which is currently before the relevant Parliamentary Committee.
The creation of the Deputy Ministry of Immigration will have substantial and practical benefits in the management of the major immigration problem. The concentration of services in a Deputy Ministry will have multiple benefits in terms of planning, coordination and supervision of departments and will create the conditions for a more effective response to the migration issue.
Migration management is a priority pillar for the Government and the methodical and efficient planning implemented so far demonstrates the effectiveness of the measures taken. In particular, the number of examiners at the Asylum Service has more than doubled, so that the examination process is completed within three months at the latest, compared with up to 21 months previously, and now more than 2,200 applications are examined monthly, compared with 1,200 at the beginning of the year.
In terms of the overall numbers of departures up to October 2023, the total number has reached 9,300, compared to 5,800 departures in the same period in 2022 (an increase of around 60%), while new asylum applications in the period March - October 2023 have decreased by around 50% - around 7,700 - compared to 15,200 applications submitted in the same period in 2022.
We underline the fact that our country ranks first among EU member states in absolute numbers of returns, at a time when in the majority of member states the numbers are negative. According to the latest data published by Eurostat, at the same time as the EU is experiencing a 19% increase in arrivals, Cyprus is experiencing a 33% decrease.
The positive picture that for the first time the arrivals-returns balance is showing, we estimate that it will improve even more with the recommendation of the Deputy Ministry. We call once again on the House of Representatives to embrace the high priority in which effective management of migration must be placed, and to complete consideration of the bill as soon as possible."
(PM/NZ/EATH)
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