PRESIDENT Demetris Christofias yesterday announced his new cabinet, at a critical time for Cyprus, which is facing serious economic problems made worse by the July 11 explosion, which destroyed its main power station, causing an energy crisis.
Christofias is also in the middle of an intensified round of talks with Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu in a bid to resolve the decades-old division of the island.
“Our country is going through critical times,” the President said yesterday at the inauguration of his new cabinet.
He said the country had important objectives to attain, including preventing permanent partition and tackling the effects of the global economic crisis and the effects of the blast.
Christofias assured the public he would continue efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem without diverting from principles and without compromising.
“At the same time the government will undertake all the necessary actions and take all necessary measures to tackle the difficult economic situation,” he said.
The man that will spearhead the needed fiscal reform will be the new Finance Minister Kikis Kazamias who urged all sides yesterday to work together to take the country out of the rut.
“We are all on the same ship and if anything happens it will concern everyone,” Kazamias said after the new cabinet’s confirmation ceremony at the presidential palace.
He said he was optimistic that “everyone will contribute positively for the ship to get on a right and stable course.”
Asked if Cyprus would join the EU’s support mechanism, he said “there is no such issue at the moment.”
And when reporters asked if there would be such an issue in the next few months, Kazamias said “we should avoid it.”
Speaking at the hand-over ceremony later in the day, Kazamias said it was a difficult moment for Cyprus but not one that could not be overcome.
“In all difficult moments … we proved we can. We will also succeed here. As Cypriots who love their country, we are not allowed to fail,” he told assembled staff.
Kazamias is one of six new faces in the government – five ministers remained, with communications minister Erato Kozakou-Marcoullis moving to the foreign ministry.
In her speech during the ministry hand-over, Marcoullis gave a sign of the policy she will be pursuing.
“We must give bigger emphasis to our relations with other states, beyond traditional diplomacy, in two areas, which I believe are key – financial and cultural diplomacy,” the new foreign minister said.
Yesterday’s reshuffle also saw the creation of a new position – Undersecretary to the President for European Affairs.
The position will be filled by Andreas Mavroyiannis, Cyprus’ permanent representative in Brussels, who will oversee the preparations for the assumption of the EU Council presidency in July 2012.
Marcoullis said the presidency would be a big challenge and expressed satisfaction that Mavroyiannis, an experienced diplomat, was taking over.
Interior Minister Neoclis Sylikiotis and his Labour colleague Sotiroulla Charalambous retained their positions, as did Demetris Eliades, who had taken the defence ministry after Costas Papacostas resigned in the aftermath of the blast that also killed 13 men. Loucas Louca stayed at the justice ministry.
The entry of Praxoula Antoniadou as Trade Minister raised the number of women in the cabinet to three — a first for Cyprus.
Main opposition DISY suggested the reshuffle just confirmed Christofias’ “political isolation” and the absence of any prospect to overcome the dead ends he led us into along with his party.
What hope can any new start have when the government spokesman declared in advance that ministers do not draft policy; they just implement the president’s policy, DISY spokesman Haris Georgiades said.
“That is, the policy of diffidence, inaction and ideological obsessions.”
DIKO chairman Marios Garoyan, whose party left the government coalition, voiced hope that the new cabinet will succeed in its task.
He noted however that its characteristics are a far cry from what “we believe are required by a state of emergency and wide representation government called on to tackle especially critical problems.”
