The active participation of Cyprus in European affairs and its contribution to forming policies and programmes, assign prestige to the country, which has produced positive outcomes for the country, along with responsible and well documented assertion, President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias said on Friday.
In his opening remarks during a press conference to mark the first year of his term in office and referring to international relations and the EU, President Christofias said ''our government is developing a multilateral foreign policy,'' adding that ''as an active member of the EU, we are strengthening our relations with third countries, on the basis of international law and mutual benefit, so that the Republic of Cyprus can function as a bridge of cooperation between the EU and third countries.''
''Significant moments that can be mentioned in forming the international relations of the Republic of Cyprus are the visits to Great Britain and the Russian Federation, and the signing of the Protocol of Understanding and the Common Declaration respectively with these countries,'' he said, noting that a total of twenty-two visits abroad ''have borne fruit for our country.''
President Christofias mentioned his trip to China, his address before the UN General Assembly and the meetings on the sidelines of the Assembly with Presidents and Prime Ministers of fifteen countries.
He also pointed out his participation in various EU forums and summits organised by the EU with countries of Latin America and Asia, as well as his address before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe and the many meetings he held with the leadership of the Assembly and the President and members of the European Court of Human Rights.
''I would like to note with satisfaction that the relations with the Greek government and the political leadership of the country in its whole have been strengthened even further and are excellent,'' President Christofias added.
He noted that ''our active participation in European affairs and our contribution to forming policies and programmes, assign prestige to our country,'' adding that ''this prestige, along with responsible and well documented assertion, as well as the friendly ties we have developed with European leaders, such as President of the European Commission Mr. Barroso, French President Mr. Sarkozy, President of the European Parliament Mr. Poettering, have produced positive outcomes for our country.''
Among these benefits, President Christofias listed the assistance from the EU Solidarity Fund of 7.6 million euros to tackle the drought, the request for EU help with good conditions worth many hundreds of million euros to create infrastructure to tackle the drought, the disbursal from state funds of compensation for the farmers who suffered losses due to the drought, and the exemption from cultivating genetically modified organisms in Cyprus.
