29th Annual General Meeting of the Cyprus Building Contractors Association
The Government is an excellent partner as long as it considers that the public interest is being violated, reported on SaturdayMinister of Transport, Communications and Works, Alexis Vafeadis, in his greeting, on behalf of the President of the Republic, at the 29th Annual General Meeting of the Cyprus Building Contractors Associations Association (OSEOK), noting that every major infrastructure project requires good cooperation.
In his greeting the Minister mentioned that, the Government will not accept to succumb to blackmail“who ask for one thing only, to reduce what Cypriot citizens are entitled to”. their signature and our partners”, he said. Therefore, he added, “we address everyone and declare that we are excellent partners until the moment we consider that the public interest is violated. That's where we draw our lines, that's where we defend our rights, that's where we will exercise our legal rights.”
“We will not accept, even if this creates painful delays, to pay more money to contracting companies without them being entitled to it,” he said.
Mr. Vafeadis noted that the Ministry of Transport, of Communications and Projects is proceeding with the implementation of the pre-election commitments of the President of the Republic, which include both the completion of the projects that have already started, and the implementation of new actions to upgrade the quality of life of citizens.
This in the period they are indevelopment of 40 projects, amounting to 862 million euros, he said, while the Public Works Department plans and will implement important road projects.
< em>“The boost in the development course is confirmed by the total number of projects executed all over Cyprus in the three-year period 2020-2023”, he said, adding that a total of 84 projects were completed, for which < strong>248 million euros were spent.
Fifteen projects height 112 million euros are in the bidding process, while for the next four years 72 projects worth 1 billion have been planned and promoted 258 million euros, he added. “You understand that these figures are unprecedented for our country. And they will be implemented with state resources and co-financing from the European Union,” he noted.
Every major infrastructure project, added the Minister, has its own challenges and requires special management. “It also requires good cooperation, it requires that the parties understand the object and the imperative need to serve the public interest”, he noted, stating that all these projects “belong to the people of Cyprus”. “It is the taxpayers' money that is invested and they deserve it, they have the right, for the infrastructure projects to be delivered on time and at the specified quality levels”, he said.
The Government, he continued, “has set out to serve the public interest and always works constructively for the implementation of the projects”. At the levels of flexibility provided by the contracts, he added, “we move constructively with the intention of solving problems and helping contractors complete the projects”, noting, however, that “there are also red lines”.
“First after all, as the President of the Republic has stated, Cyprus is not being blackmailed.We do not accept changes to contracts that are at the expense of the public interest. In particular, changes that tomorrow may be challenged in the courts, changes to terms that are essential in the contracts”, said the Minister.
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Source: cyprustimes.com
