Cyprus expects EU to continue efforts to tackle financial crisis

Cyprus expects the EU to continue its collective efforts to tackle the global financial crisis, maintain a social direction to protect vulnerable groups of the population, take further social measures to reduce the impact of the crisis on the citizens, and take steps towards development, according to Cypriot government sources.

The sources, speaking on the sidelines of the European Council in Brussels, said President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias would be speaking on the crisis at the Council, as well as at discussions on the environment and the coordination of EU member states in view of the UN climate summit in Copenhagen.

Furthermore, the statement of the Republic of Cyprus at the General Affairs Council was submitted to the General Affairs Council secretariat on Thursday as an official document in the European Council's minutes, with a letter by Cyprus' Permanent Representative Andreas Mavroyiannis.

The sources said the content of the letter is the statement made by Minister of Foreign Affairs Marcos Kyprianou after the General Affairs Council meeting.