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The government of the Republic of Cyprus has placed the issue of drugs as its top priority since March 2008, said on Monday President Demetris Christofias, addressing the 51st International Council of Alcohol & Addictions (ICAA) International Conference on Dependencies which is taking place in the coastal town of Limassol, Cyprus, under the overall theme ''Empowerment for Practitioners''.
The President said that in a special meeting at the Presidential Palace with all interested parties, the government outlined the immediate goals to handle the drug issue as well as a timeframe in which to achieve them.
President Christofias said the drugs issue is a matter, which seriously concerns Cyprus and him personally. Drug dependencies is a problem and it takes irritating dimensions, he added. The Cypriot President credited the problem to the social issues, which ensued after the Turkish invasion of 1974 when in a matter of six days, almost 200 thousand people lost their properties and social status and found themselves to be refugees in their own homes, looking for ways to survive.
Our unresolved political problem, the presence of occupation troops and the dangers lurking behind this uncertainty for 35 years now, cause a continued traumatic stress”, President Christofias said, adding that it is a continued tension which is reflected in our daily lives and is an issue which has favoured the development of the (drugs) problem.
He also said that by not realizing the correct social dimension of the problem and the fear of undertaking responsibilities, has led the state and politicians to refuse its existence resulting with no measures taken. The increase in the deaths of young people from drugs and the fact that Cyprus is one of the first countries with drug-related deaths “has made us realize the extent of the problem”.
The conference under the overall theme ''Empowerment for Practitioners'' will particularly focus on capacity building and target all those who work in prevention, treatment, research and policy development.
The programme will include plenary sessions with keynote speakers of international renown addressing the conference's daily major themes.
The meeting will also be addressed by Archbishop Chrysostomos II.
