‘No magic solutions’ to big issues, Christodoulides says in Easter message

There is no magic bullet to solve either the Cyprus issue or the unstable economic conditions, President Nikos Christodoulides said on Saturday in his first televised Easter message.

“In these difficult times, while efforts are made at the international and European level to address and contain inflationary trends, as a government our main concern remains to protect especially the vulnerable groups of the population,” Christodoulides said.

“Nothing is easy, there are many challenges and many things that need to be done. There are no magical solutions. Rest assured, however, that each one of our decisions will be taken with a view to support all of our people, and we will make every possible effort for holistic development with benefits for the entire population.”

Turning to the message of Easter, he said that “unfortunately, for yet another year, the resurrection bells tonight will not ring freely all over our country”.

Many would again be deprived of the joy to celebrate Easter in their towns and villages while the country remains occupied and de facto divided and refugees remain far from their ancestral homes. The families of the missing were still seeking vindication and answers regarding the fate of their loved ones and those living in the north would be celebrating Easter under restrictions.

Christodoulides said from his first day in office, he had been working on the basis of a specific plan to break the Cyprus deadlock and resume negotiations from the point where they were interrupted in 2017.

“We are in no way reconciled with the occupation. The current illegal status quo cannot be the solution of the Cyprus problem and is not the future we envision for our country, for Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins and all the lawful inhabitants of the island,” he said.

He said he had already made a specific proposal on how the European Union could assist in the efforts of the United Nations, with a more active involvement and a leading role, not only in order to lift the current deadlock but also in order to find an overall solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality, as described in the UN resolutions, the High Level Agreements, the convergences recorded so far, the European acquis and the principles and values of the EU.

At the same time as a government, he said, he was working to maintain and enhance the competitiveness of the Cypriot economy, creating conditions for further growth on the basis of a specific programme with medium-term and long-term goals, for a new growth model that will strengthen Cyprus.

“We are working towards an anthropocentric development model that will broaden the productive base of the economy based on research and innovation, on technology, making full use of our country’s very capable human resources, so that there will be more opportunities for the younger generation, with policies that consolidate social justice and with the implementation of holistic policies for the well-being of all citizens, including all vulnerable groups of the population,” he said.

“We are working towards balanced growth in both our cities and our countryside and towards the rapid transition to the green era”.

Referring though not by name to the ‘Cyprus Tomorrow’ plan claimed as the brainchild of the Anastasiades government though it is in reality UN Agenda 2030 as laid out in the EU Green Deal, Christodoulides said the new administration aims to  “implement reforms that have already been decided” and is working to promote new ones that are necessary for the modernisation of the country.

“Our priority is the people, education, health, labour, the daily life of all our fellow citizens, of parents, of single parents and parents of many children, of people with disabilities, of pensioners,” he said.

“High priority is given to the new generation of our country, to the future of our country and to building essential hope and perspectives for a better future for all Cypriot people”.