Ambassador of Cyprus in Egypt H.E. has asserted that the government of Cyprus and the nation are standing by Egypt in this hard situation and supporting their efforts in order to establish a democratic regime comply with the hopes and aspirations of the Egyptian people.
H.E. Liasides has explained that since the uprising of June30, Cyprus understood that what happened in June was the real peaceful protest, the Egyptians supported the military’s action and opposed the regime of the Ousted Egyptian President, Mohamed Morsi so as to complete the economic prosperity and the democratic path.
The Cypriot ambassador added in exclusive statements to Amwal Al Ghad’s Editor-in –Chief that Egypt has all the elements that will enable it to achieve sustainable development because of its various economy in attracting investors again , in addition owning huge growth rates so these will have a positive impact on it.
Liasides has pointed out that within the coming of November12 a tripartite agreement will be contracted between Egypt, Cyprus and Greece for cooperation in all economic, political and social sectors, after the meeting which gathered Nabil Fahmy the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Loannis Kasoulides, the Cypriot Foreign Affairs Minister and the Foreign Minister of Greece Evangelos in the 68th session meetings for the General Assembly of the United Nations.
Liasides said the strong relations between Cyprus and Egypt have a deep roots dating back to 18th century BC, as evidenced by archaeological discoveries explaining that the old letters which found in the capital of Egypt during the reign of Pharaoh Akhenaten and Queen Nefertiti are an evidence of distinct diplomatic establishment of relations between Egypt and Cyprus .
He further said Cyprus people in the modern era was grateful for the support of Egypt and its people during their struggle against colonialism
President Gamal Abdel Nasser was a strong supporter of the rights of all Cypriots in their quest for human rights, autonomy and social and economic independence against the Turkish occupation.
On delineating Egypt-Cyprus border, H.E. Liasides explained that the two countries have signed in 2003 a delineation agreement to demarcate the maritime borders of each country. Yet, he said Turkey was unsuccessfully trying to drive a wedge between Egypt and Cyprus, making use of its strong ties with the ousted Islamist regime.
Moreover, he stated that after the EU had agreed on granting Cyprus around € 10 billion bailout as pursuant to an economic rescue plan, the country has been adopting austerity strategy, aiming to overcome its massive budget deficit which was started following the financial crisis in Greece; the hub of most of Cypriots’ investments.
The ambassador explained that Cyprus’ strict rescue plan is doing well, started with making a downsizing for its 60.000 public-sector employees besides increasing taxes and lowering the costs.
H.E. Liasides said he is expecting that his country would achieve a surplus in its general budget within 2016 backed by Cyprus’ growth rates which are based on new natural gas explorations taken place in the country. This comes after unveiling a new discovery of around 5 trillion cubic feet of natural gas during excavations off the country’s south coast in addition to many other discoveries that will be announced later.
Furthermore, the Cypriot ambassador referred to the multiple opportunities to bolster the strategic relations with Egypt alongside the joint energy ties, notably in field of hydrocarbons – which could lead to prosperous impact to both countries.
He also noted that the Cypriot president is currently paying multiple tours, aiming to allure businesses and encourage investments in his country. The Cypriot president had recently paid a visit to Kuwait and will be heading soon to Russia besides many countries in the MENA region, notably Egypt, if it has restored its security and political stability.
