The President of the Republic Mr. Nikos Anastasiadis participated in an extraordinary teleconference of the members of the European Council that took place on the 25th and 26th of February.
According to a statement by Proodrikos, on the first day of yesterday, the leaders' discussion focused on the efforts being made to tackle the coronavirus pandemic, as well as the current epidemiological situation in the Member States, in line with the European Union's vaccine strategy. .
On this occasion, the need to increase production by the contracting pharmaceutical companies was emphasized, in order to achieve the goal of vaccinating 70% of the adult population of the Union by the end of the summer season. They also exchanged views on proposals submitted for the creation of a “European Health Union” aimed at increasing the EU's resilience to possible future health crises.
Today, on the second day of the teleconference, issues related to the sectors of Defense and Security, as well as the Southern Neighborhood were discussed.
During his speech, President Anastasiadis congratulated the European Commission, and in particular its President and Commissioner for Health, on efforts to address the pandemic and expressed support for the steps taken to establish the new European Emergency Preparedness and Response Authority. health needs, with the primary aim of adapting vaccines to new variants.
He also stressed the importance of adopting a common “vaccination certificate” to facilitate the movement of citizens, while stressing that tourism, which is a key pillar of the Cypriot economy, has been hit by the pandemic.
In the field of Defense and Security, and in the light of the discussions on a new European Defense Pact, the President of the Republic shared the need to strengthen the European Union's strategic autonomy to effectively address existing and future challenges, including cyber-attacks and hybrid threats.
During his speech on the Southern Neighborhood, President Anastasiadis highlighted the strategic importance of relations with the countries of the region, welcoming the new “Agenda for the Mediterranean” aimed at renewing the EU's relations with the countries of the Southern Neighborhood and which includes new areas and forms of cooperation, such as good governance for the rule of law, human development, digital transition, green transition and climate resilience, and to this end there will be specific infrastructure development; and investments in the southern neighborhood.
Furthermore, he made special reference to the role of Cyprus and Greece as pillars of stability in the region, through the development of tripartite cooperation mechanisms.
Concluding, President Anastasiadis conveyed our side's determination for a successful conclusion of the forthcoming informal conference on Cyprus, under the auspices of the UN, while expressing the hope that Turkey will show the same will. In this context, he highlighted the particularly important role that the European Union has to play, taking into account that the reunited Cyprus will continue to be an EU member state after the solution of the Cyprus problem.
