The government is determined to continue efforts towards resolving the long-standing Cyprus problem, as any positive outcome will have a great impact on the shipping sector, itself contributing to 7% of the island’s GDP.
President Nicos Anastasiades, addressing the annual dinner hosted by the Cyprus Shipping Chamber pledged that the government will continue working tirelessly towards the lifting of the embargo on Cypriot-flagged ships that Turkey has imposed since 1987.
He noted that “a viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem will inevitably lead to the lifting of the Turkish restrictive measures on Cyprus ships, a pending obligation by Turkey towards Cyprus and towards the EU.”
However, despite the Turkish embargo, the Cypriot ship registry is the 11th largest in the world and third in the EU, while Cyprus remains the third largest shipmanagement centre in the world.
Furthermore, noting that the geopolitical realities in the area are rapidly evolving and Cyprus is claiming its rightful place in the centre of these developments, Anastasiades said that new political and economic balances are emerging, connected also with the discovery of energy reserves in our region.
“The discovery of hydrocarbons in the Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) creates new prospects for our country and our national economy,” he said, assuring that “we will do our best to overcome the problems we are facing with our neighbour.”
Stating that shipping can act as a catalyst in the stability and further development of the eastern Mediterranean, Anastasiades pointed out that shipping forms part of the tripartite agreements with neighbouring countries, such as Israel, Egypt, Jordan, Lebanon and Palestine.
“It is clear that through intelligent planning and strategic alliances, the shipping sector will play a lead role, in the joint efforts towards the creation of a new, more efficient and sustainable model for the region,” he stressed.
Anastasiades added that this is a historic year for the maritime sector as the Department of Merchant Shipping, a division of the Ministry of Transport, has now been upgraded to a junior ministry, headed by Natasa Pilides.
“The operation of the Deputy Ministry of Shipping and the restructuring of the maritime administration is expected to upgrade the services provided to the Cyprus shipping industry and further enhance the image of the Cyprus flag,” the president said.
CSC President Themis Papadopoulos thanked the state officials for their support and collaboration over the years and, too, welcomed the newly appointed Shipping Under-Secretary.
Inspired by the International Women’s Day which was celebrated a day earlier, the evening’s theme was “Sea – Ship – Shipping are a She”.
Roving around the female nature of these words, the evening’s theme aimed to act as a tribute to the shipping industry in Cyprus and to highlight the important contribution as well as the role of women in the Shipping Industry, by changing the perception of being male-dominated.
