* Study on the ‘Future of Shipping in Cyprus’ in the hands of steering committee *
President Nicos Anastasiades said that his government will continue its efforts towards the lifting of the illegal Turkish restrictive measures against Cyprus shipping.
In his address at the Annual General Meeting of the Cyprus Shipping Chamber in Limassol, President Anastasiades said that his presence at the meeting “manifests the importance that the government places on one of the main pillars of the development of the Cyprus economy, its shipping industry”.
He also said that “the close cooperation between the government and the private shipping sector will not only continue, but will be enhanced even further”, adding that Cyprus and its shipping industry “need to adopt a modern and flexible approach in order to adapt to the competitive international shipping environment”.
As such, he added, “the Chamber’s involvement in the formulation of the government’s maritime policy and its overall cooperation and contribution towards the continuous growth of the Cyprus Registry and of the local shipping industry is significant and much appreciated”.
In this respect, he said, “the Minister of Communications and Works commissioned a study for the ‘Future of Shipping in Cyprus’ and established a steering committee to guide the process.”
The overall objective of the study, the President said, “is to develop a comprehensive strategic development plan for the Cyprus shipping industry. The study has been very recently concluded and proposes strategic policies that would strengthen the Cyprus Merchant Fleet and the Cyprus Maritime Cluster, having as a guideline the short and long term benefits to the Cyprus Economy”, he added.
He added that “the discovery of hydrocarbons in our Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) creates new challenges and opportunities for our shipping industry to further evolve and widen its horizons, creating relevant synergies. New and vibrant shipping and energy projects can be launched and the relevant government policies will definitely include this new exciting perspective in mind, when being developed”.
Nonetheless, he said, “we should not forget that shipping is an international activity and the free movement of goods and raw materials worldwide is essential for the economic development of any country”.
In this respect, he noted, “the lifting of the illegal Turkish restrictive measures against Cyprus shipping, in force since 1987, would certainly have a positive economic and political impact. My government will continue its efforts towards lifting the Turkish embargo, which will lead to great growth prospects of the Registry and consequently, the growth of Cyprus shipping in general”.
Referring to the latest developments as regards the economy of Cyprus, Anastasiades said that “as a result of the hard work by everybody and the consistency in implementing the obligations we have undertaken under well-known conditions, not only did we manage to disprove the assessments and predictions referring to a total collapse of the economy, but at the same time we have succeeded to restore the international credibility of our country, to stabilise our banking system and we are now in a course of recovery and exit from the country’s economic adjustment programme”.
“With determination, we took particularly difficult decisions and we implemented a very difficult, but necessary, programme, without overlooking the social role of the state. It is for these exact reasons, that (on Friday) I announced the final and comprehensive lifting of the restrictions in capital transfers,” he said.
President Anastasiades reiterated that the sustainable growth of Cyprus shipping is one of the priorities of the Cyprus government.
