Satisfied in his farewell to Paphos, says outgoing president

Policies adopted by his government have strengthened economic, social, rural, cultural and tourist development throughout the Paphos district, and he is satisfied with the results, President Anastasiades said during his tour of the region on Friday.

The president inaugurated a series of projects, including the city’s west coastal promenade, during which he said his wish was for Paphos to recover the greatness it had during antiquity.

“With today’s project and tour, a farewell tour I must say, I am satisfied,” Anastasiades said, at the end of his day-long tour, noting that if one compares photos of Paphos from 2013 with those from today, one realises that a lot has changed, “giving another image to Cyprus, the one that we wanted.”

Mayor of Paphos, Phedonas Phedonos, for his part, thanked the president for his support and said the total cost of the promenade, expected to be completed within 10 months, comes to €7.4 million.

Earlier Anastasiades laid the foundation stone of the cultural village of Lemba, honouring artist Stass Paraskos, who founded the Lemba School of Fine Arts.

The creation of the cultural village, with a total budget of €4 million provides for an upgraded multifunctional capacity complex with workshops, exhibition halls and accommodation for teachers, students and visiting artists.

Community leader, Thucydides Chrysostomou, noted Lemba has been an important centre since ancient times, and that many artists settled in the village after 1974.

Anastasiades started his tour on Friday morning, inaugurating several multi-million-euro projects in Polis Chrysochous and Peyia.

“The construction of the new Paphos – Polis Chrysochous highway falls in this exact context, despite any obstacles that some wanted to raise,” he said.

He added that project had been pending for decades.

“When with determination the government wanted to implement it, some well-known and not exceptional, so that I do not go further, considered that the project was unprofitable,” he said.

However, he added that the government achieved the goal of having the project proceed.

Speaking at the ceremony for the start of the works for the €83 million motorway project, Anastasiades said it is one of the biggest development projects of the last decades.

“By facilitating accessibility, moreover, new perspectives are opened up and the conditions are created, among other things, for upgrading the lives of residents, the promotion of the municipality as an attractive place of permanent living and activity for young families, young investors, and entrepreneurs, as well as for dynamic tourism development,” he said.

He added that tied with this new project is an already existing housing scheme for rural areas, which includes Polis Chrysochous and is worth €15 million.