President Nicos Anastasiades pledged on Tuesday that if re-elected he would continue with sound fiscal policies at home and building strategic alliances abroad.
Presenting his five-year governance programme for 2018-2023, the incumbent said a second term in office would see his administration pushing through unfinished business, such as legislation reforming local administration, creating under-ministries for development and tourism, and minimum wage laws governing all occupations.
Anastasiades promised to compensate to the tune of 75 per cent the losses suffered by provident funds in the 2013 financial meltdown, and announced his intention to activate the National Solidarity Fund to which the state will contribute depending on the economy’s performance.
The president spoke of a ‘new economic growth model’ with a series of actions aimed at strengthening small-to-medium-sized business and the middle class in general.
Initiatives would be undertaken to turn Cyprus into a hub of excellence in research and development and a regional centre for the provision of healthcare services.
The government, he said, would continue delivering balanced budgets, as well as cutting taxes and creating incentives for business.
On foreign policy, Anastasiades said his second term would see the promotion of economic diplomacy with key international players.
He referred to the visit to Cyprus of the President of India, planned for sometime in the first six months of 2018, and the imminent establishment of Japan’s diplomatic mission on the island.
His government would continue the policy of strengthening ties with neighbouring nations as well as being part of the EU’s common foreign and security policy.
Under his watch, he said, Cyprus entered into 21 bilateral defence agreements with foreign nations, including with the United States, Russia, Britain, France, German and Italy.
The island’s energy plans are an integral part of foreign relations, Anastasiades noted, citing the concessions granted to American, Italian and French oil majors to explore for natural gas.
The president reiterated his commitment to reaching a settlement on Cyprus, adding that he was ready to participate in a new conference on Cyprus provided it were preceded by thorough preparation.
Anastasiades said that, if re-elected, he looked forward to working with all parties concerned.
He also called on Turkey to understand that exploratory drilling in the Republic’s exclusive economic zone concerned the future of the country and its people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike.
In this respect, he said Ankara’s policy of questioning Nicosia’s sovereign rights, simply because Turkey does not recognise the Republic of Cyprus, has no actual standing.
“We have no threats to address, given that we exercise our sovereign rights and we do that successfully,” the president said, replying to press questions on Turkish provocations with regard to Cyprus’ exclusive economic zone (EEZ) in the recent past, as oil giant ENI began over the weekend drilling the Republic’s EEZ.
The country’s natural wealth belongs to all its legitimate inhabitants, including Turkish Cypriots, and as such any threats hailing from Ankara have no place and do not serve the interests of the people of Cyprus as a whole, he said.
“I would like to hope that Turkey will understand that the peaceful drilling, currently underway, concerns the future of Cyprus and its people, all of its people, and consequently questioning our sovereign rights, simply because Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus or because it believes that the self-styled regime in occupied Cyprus actually exists, has no actual standing,” he added.
If Turkey chooses to protect the rights of the Turkish Cypriots in a separate independent entity, then it has to limit this protection to the rights of this illegal entity and therefore it has no reason to question Cyprus’ sovereign rights, he added.
This, however, is a theory that concerns only Turkey, not Cyprus, he added.
