-
.
- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides participated today at the Bank of Cyprus' Youth Debate - "Young People Ask" programme, at the Bank's headquarters.
The debate was attended by representatives of public high schools from all over Cyprus, as well as private schools.
Among the issues addressed in the debate were the Cyprus problem, the labour market, the fight against corruption, education, energy, the fight against poverty and housing.
Speaking to the young people, President Christodoulides said, among other things, that "as a Government in the very near future - because we sincerely believe in participatory democracy and that you should have a voice and a role - we are launching two online platforms.
One is non-binding referendums where we will put the question to Cypriot society in general on issues of concern to society, for example, the proposal we will submit to the legislature to lower the age limit to participate in elections.
We also have another platform especially for you young people called "Expression" and we will answer your questions and suggestions as the executive and once a month we will go online either myself or the Ministers to answer questions. This will be done on a permanent basis."
He added that today's debate is a rehearsal for what will follow in relation to online platforms.
Asked what is the legacy that a young person inherits in relation to the Cyprus problem and what he can hope for the solution of the problem, the President of the Republic said, among other things, that what we are living today is not normality, noting that contrary to the perception of some, young people are very interested in the Cyprus problem.
He added that "when you are in a position of power and you are elected by the Cypriot people, the decisions you take - you should not only think about the term of office, the five or ten years you will be President - should be such that you are beneficial for your country and its future. We have to convince our society and I am trying very hard through my statements and interventions. There is a wrong impression in our country. What we see today is getting worse every day. It is much more difficult to achieve our goal, which is the reunification of Cyprus."
He also said that with the division of our country we cannot use the many possibilities that our country has, while a reunified Cyprus will use these possibilities to the maximum.
"There are no frozen conflicts. You see what is happening in our region. So there is no choice but to do everything possible to reunite Cyprus. And you young people have an important role to play," President Christodoulides said, noting that he believes a solution can be reached.
In response to another question, he said that the government's priority is issues on which the younger generation has concerns, such as Climate Change, labour issues and housing. He also pointed out that education should be linked to labour market issues and young people should be directed to professions with a future in Cyprus.
Asked about the issues of fighting corruption and quick justice, President Christodoulides said, among other things, that his most important advantage is that he is a party orphan. "For the first time, someone has been elected to the Presidency of the Republic of Cyprus without the support of one of the two major parties. At the same time, this is my great weakness, because when you are a party orphan you are considered to be more vulnerable, although I don't feel that. So I have no barium in moving forward with these issues. I am sure that the initiatives we will implement will cause a lot of reactions, discussions."
In response to another question, he noted that Education and Health are the most important sectors, while noting that Education affects all sectors. He added that bold reforms should be made, but where there is a problem, corrective measures should be taken.
Asked if the issue of energy can play a decisive role in the resolution of the Cyprus problem, the President of the Republic replied in the affirmative, adding that "Turkey, which holds the key to the solution of the Cyprus problem, will not go ahead with the solution because it will recognize the illegality of the occupation or the violation of human rights. Turkey will only consider going ahead with the solution if it realizes that the benefits that can be obtained through the solution are more important than the benefits it has with the current state of affairs. And the gas factor and other factors, such as the European Union, is something that can lead a rationally thinking Turkey to realize the benefits through a possible solution of the Cyprus problem. So the energy sector is crucial in the resolution of the Cyprus problem."
Asked about the issue of inflation, the President said that the economy of Cyprus, which is a small country, is largely dependent on external factors, adding that inflationary trends are due to factors such as wars in the region, the coronavirus pandemic and others, noting that the aim is to make the economy less vulnerable to external factors by expanding productive sectors and human resources.
He also referred to the two support packages to mitigate the problems for households and businesses arising from inflationary trends.
Finally, President Christodoulides told the students that the decisions taken by the Government directly affect the youth and therefore they must claim their rightful role in order to have a say in social events, assuring them that all members of the Cabinet of Ministers are at the disposal of young people to organise thematic debates on the issues that concern them.
(PM/EP/GC)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
