PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat yesterday lent their joint support to a business initiative aimed at bringing the economies of the island closer together.
The project, the brainchild of the Turkish and Greek Cypriot Chambers of Commerce and sponsored by the UNDP, aims at building stronger economic links between the two communities.
“The project aims at reinforcing, fostering and nurturing the economic interdependence between the two communities and contributing to efforts of economic integration,” head of the Cyprus Chambers of Commerce and Industry (KEVE) Manthos Mavrommatis told businessmen gathered at a ceremony to mark the start of the project.
Mavrommatis said he was confident trade would grow between the communities, and pointed to a growing level of business since the crossing points between the two sides opened in 2003.
Turkish Cypriot businessmen agree that greater levels of trade are needed to bring the north of the island into line with the south, which joined the EU in 2004.
“Solution of this long-lasting problem will bring two compatible and competitive economies together following a transition period and will generate the economic potential of the island as a whole,” head of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber of Commerce said.
The two leaders, in giving their support to the venture, told businessmen they believed negotiations for a settlement of the Cyprus problem were largely on track.
“Building confidence is based on the agreement; the agreement is based on confidence. It may seem that we are faced with a dilemma, but Demetris and I are determined to overcome it,” Talat said.
“No one knows better than the business community the opportunities lost because of unnatural and unnecessary restrictions to movement and to personal opportunities,” Christofias added.
For two Cypriot community leaders to attend such a ceremony and give their joint backing to a cause is unprecedented in modern Cypriot history.
The ceremony at the Goethe Institute in the UN-controlled buffer zone ended with the two Chamber heads and the two leaders signing an agreement to start the project, prompting one member of the Turkish Cypriot Chamber to say, “Let’s hope we see a similar signing in the near future”.
