Address by the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, at the 11th Energy Symposium “Time for Action on Energy”, Tuesday, 31 October 2023

The President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, addressed today the annual energy symposium “Time for Action on Energy”, organised by the Institute of Energy for South Eastern Europe and Financial Media Way.

President Christodoulides stated, inter alia, that this symposium constitutes a point of reference regarding energy-related topics, pointing out that the latest developments in the field of energy will be analysed. “The field of energy cannot be analysed without considering the geopolitical and economic dimensions, the President said, adding that energy is a topic of major international interest due to the developments in Ukraine as well as in our region.”

The intervention of the President focused on the evolving regional and international environment that affect us and the view of the government concerning the protection of our country. The President, inter alia, stated, “Cyprus is and remains a bridge of peace and cooperation between the states and the peoples of the region, with whom, as you know, we maintain excellent relations.”

The President underlined that Cyprus as a full EU member state in proximity to the Middle East is aiming to function as a pillar of stability, addressing emerging challenges of humanitarian nature. “I consider that through such actions the role we can play in the energy cooperation in the region can be highlighted”, the President stated.

Regarding the humanitarian aspect the President said that “the Republic of Cyprus is ready to contribute in the creation of a sea corridor from the Cyprus ports, to send humanitarian aid to Gaza. Concerning this proposal, I have already briefed the leaders of EU member states at the recent European Council.  Earlier I briefed the President of Egypt and on the same day the Prime Minister of Israel. The Minister of Foreign Affairs yesterday visited Jordan and then Palestine. This afternoon, I will speak again with the Prime Minister of Israel and also with the heads of EU Institutions, as well as with the USA to see how we will proceed with the implementation of this initiative by the Republic of Cyprus.

In these challenging times, our country will play once again a key role in the repatriation of citizens from different countries, and in the evacuation of people from the region. Cyprus will function as a security pillar and will convey a message on its key role in the energy cooperation in Easter Mediterranean and in the Middle East.”

The President further stated that the Cyprus economy remains strong, adding that “the upgrading of Cyprus by Moody’s after a period of twelve years means that there is prospect and opportunities for attracting quality investments and for the creation of new employment opportunities.”

(MS/EP)

You may also like

• Remarks by the President of the Republic of Cyprus at the opening of the extraordinary meeting of the Council of Ministers
• Press remarks by the President of the Republic of Cyprus at the joint press conference with the Prime Minister of the Republic of Croatia, in Zagreb
• Remarks by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, at the joint press conference following the MED9 Summit in the Republic of Slovenia
• The President of the Republic of Cyprus met with the President of the European Investment Bank
• Speech by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, at the Memorial Lecture in honour of the late Nikos Mouyiaris, hosted by the Elytis Chair, Rutgers University