President Nicos Anastasiades has stressed the need to implement measures that will restore confidence, and not measures that increase mistrust among the legal citizens of the island, through actions that violate international law.
Addressing the "Stelios Bi-communal Business Awards 2014", in Nicosia, he said that “unfortunately, the recent actions by Turkey serve neither the purpose of building confidence and trust, nor of establishing a constructive environment that can facilitate the negotiating process. On the contrary: they foster mistrust and raise serious doubts within the Greek Cypriot community as regards Turkey’s true intentions”.
He stressed that “Cyprus’ natural resource wealth belongs to the State, and, consequently, it is through the solution of the Cyprus problem that all of the legal citizens of the island will be able to benefit from the generated revenues that will arise from the exploitation of our natural resource wealth”.
The status quo in Cyprus, he said, is unacceptable and all should demonstrate the same resolve and commitment to negotiate in good faith.
“I assure my Turkish Cypriot compatriots that I remain committed and I will work tirelessly and do my utmost to reach a settlement on the Cyprus problem. And this is the exact reason that throughout my term I have consciously avoided negative public comments related to the negotiating process, with the aim of creating a positive atmosphere to ensure that the talks succeed,” he said.
Referring to the bicommunal business awards, he said that since 2009 the Stelios Philanthropic Foundation has donated 1.2 million Euro to business projects that have demonstrated real commitment to the development of bi-communal collaborations, in a diverse range of sectors.
“The bi-communal business partnerships awarded today send a clear, two-fold message to the people of Cyprus and its political leadership”, he said, adding that this message is that despite our current economic challenges, Cyprus is not only well-equipped to accommodate and advance new business projects, but the spirit of entrepreneurship in Cyprus is well-established and can positively contribute to overcoming the difficulties which lie ahead;
One more message, he added, is that it exemplified the significant benefits associated with Greek and Turkish Cypriots working together, building mutual trust and enjoying joint collaboration.
He praised the tireless efforts of the Chambers of Commerce of the Republic of Cyprus, of the Turkish Cypriot Community and of Greece and Turkey, which have created the “Nicosia Financial Forum”, with the aim of holding frequent meetings so as to help create a positive climate, implement confidence-building measures, and pave the way for further economic and business cooperation.
“It is for these exact reasons that I have repeatedly advocated the need to adopt bold Confidence Building Measures that would yield a win-win result and would be of mutual benefit to both Greek and Turkish Cypriots”, he went on to say.
President Anastasiades said that the adoption and implementation of such measures would represent an apt proof of the commitment of the leaderships of both communities to actively support and press forward the ongoing efforts of individuals, the civil society, the business community and other professional organizations to build mutual understanding, confidence and good will; thereby serving as a catalyst in the ongoing negotiating process.
Concluding, he congratulated Stelios and his Philanthropic Foundation "on upholding the values of peace and reconciliation in our island, through, amongst other means, promoting island-wide business cooperation between Greek and Turkish Cypriots. My congratulations are also extended to the entrepreneurs, who, through their joint ventures, actively and practically advance the principles of our common interrelated future in a united Cyprus".
Turkey issued recently a NAVTEX (Navigational Telex), a notice to mariners advising that it was reserving areas south of Cyprus for seismic surveys from October 20 to December 30.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
President Anastasiades, following Turkey's provocations, has announced his decision to suspend his participation in the UN backed negotiations which aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.
