Press Releases

The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, received the credentials of the Ambassador of Uruguay stationed in Beirut, Mr Luis Ricardo Nario Fagundez, during a formal ceremony held at the Presidential Palace on Thursday, 6 February 2020.

Presenting his credentials, Mr Fagundez, speaking in English, said:

“It is an honor for me to present to Your Excellency the letters of Credence accrediting me as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Uruguay to the Republic of Cyprus.

I also seize the occasion to present to Your Excellency the letters of Recall of my Predecessor, H.E. Dr. Marta Pizzanelli.

Mr President,

I have the honor to convey to Your Excellency the message of the President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, H.E. Dr Tabaré Vazquez, who is sending his best wishes for the prosperity and happiness of the people of Cyprus and for a continued success in your mandate.

As Your Excellency know, on November 30, 2019, the people of Uruguay elected a new President Mr Luis Lacalle Pou who will assume his duties on march 1st, 2020.

We can proudly affirm that Uruguay and Cyprus have a long tradition of sharing the same fundamental principles and values of democracy, political pluralism, social justice, equality and human rights, and have pursued similar objectives in all the international forums in which they participate. Therefore, we are happy to witness that our existing bilateral cooperation is based on solid ground, which guarantees that these ties will continue to grow in the future.

My government attaches particular emphasis to the further development and strengthening of the friendly relations and cooperation existing between our two countries.

Moreover, I strongly believe that the newly signed Free Trade Agreement between the European Union and Mercosur which its population is 300,000,000 inhabitants with a formidable diversity across peoples and cultures and its Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of USD 6 trillion making it an important economic bloc will reflect on the creation of new opportunities for economic growth in both countries.

I look forward to enhancing our relations, it would be very fruitful to exchange visits of representatives of both governments, to encourage relationship between our private sectors to improve our trade, to promote more contacts among our scientific and technological sectors, to cooperate in the tourism and investment areas, and in the frame of our cultural agreement, continue to give further contents to it.

On the other hand, Uruguay shows its deep concern toward the drilling carried out by Turkey in the Cypriot waters and express its full solidarity with Cyprus in maintaining its sovereign right over its exclusive economic zone.

Uruguay will continue to support the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and all the efforts displayed in order to arrive to a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, based on the principles contained on the relevant UN security Resolutions. We sincerely hope that a re-launching of the negotiations under the aegis Secretary General of the United Nations will achieve the goal to find a satisfactory solution.

All my best wishes for your country, for your personal well-being, for the success of your Government facing the actual challenges, and hope that your beautiful country and nice people will achieve the prosperity and happiness they deserve”.

Receiving the credentials, the President said:

“Your Excellency,

It is with great pleasure that I receive today your Letters of Credence appointing you as the new Ambassador of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay to the Republic of Cyprus. Please accept my heartfelt congratulations for your appointment. I would like to wish you every success in the performance of your high duties and to assure you that my Government will provide you with every assistance you may need in the fulfilment of your noble mission.

My Government looks forward to working closely with you in building upon the friendly relations that exist between our two countries and peoples. Cyprus and Uruguay share common principles and values, evident through our common membership in international fora, especially the United Nations. May I express on this occasion, my Government’s appreciation for the record of reciprocal support between Cyprus and Uruguay in international organisations.

I also wish to express my readiness to work with you towards the further strengthening of our bilateral relations and to explore new areas of cooperation. Cyprus values its cordial relations with Uruguay which it views also through the prism of EU-Mercosur relations and will continue to support this cooperation.

As regards the economy, following the severe economic crisis of 2013, Cyprus has achieved a return to positive growth rates since 2015. For 2019, the growth rate is estimated at 3.2%, while medium-term macroeconomic forecasts project a robust growth of around 3% in the years to come.

Public finances have been set - and they continue to be - on a sustainable management path. In particular, for 2019 the budget surplus is expected to be at 3.8% as a percentage of GDP. The labour market is continuing to record steady progress, with an estimation of 7% unemployment for 2019, compared with 8.4% the previous year. The percentage decline in unemployment is among the largest in the EU and it is projected that by 2020 we will return to full employment conditions.

The banking system, re-focusing its operations and fully adhering to the strictest international transparency and compliance regulations, is now based on a stronger and healthier base in terms of capitalization, liquidity and profitability. Remarkable progress has also been achieved with respect to non-performing loans. The positive outlook of the Cypriot economy, as well as effective actions in the banking sector, have strengthened the confidence of investors and of International Credit Rating Agencies, reflected through a number of successive upgrades, currently classifying Cyprus at the investment grade.

Our commitment as a Government is to remain focused on maintaining and broadening the conditions under which surpluses and high growth rates can be generated, to continue promoting structural reforms and improving the country’s business environment.

Your Excellency,

I am aware of your particular interest as regards the latest developments on the Cyprus Problem and the prospect of resuming the negotiating process. Following the renewed active involvement of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, a tripartite meeting was convened last November in Berlin between Mr Guterres, the Turkish Cypriot leader Mr Akinci and myself. It was a productive meeting which our side considers as a positive step in our efforts to conclude the “Terms of Reference” and resume the peace process in the framework of the Good Offices Mission of the UN Secretary-General.

Such a development would allow us to hold an informal Conference on Cyprus in the format of the previous ones, which would give the opportunity to all stakeholders to discuss the modalities, that should guide the possible resumption of meaningful and well-prepared negotiations.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to express my personal appreciation, as well as that of my Government and the people of the Republic of Cyprus, for Uruguay’s support and contribution towards our efforts to reach a viable and lasting settlement of the Cyprus problem.

Regrettably, Turkey continues to act as a “spoiler” by, amongst others, turning to military threats, illegal drilling activities within the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus, threats to open the fenced-off city of Ammochostos and signing an illegal Memorandum of Understanding on the delimitation of maritime jurisdictions in the Mediterranean Sea with Libya.

Actions which have been condemned in the strongest manner by the international community and the EU, since they do not comply with the notion of good neighbourly relations, international law and particularly the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, and infringe upon the sovereign rights of third States.

Actions which, apart from escalating tensions in our already turbulent region, have also a huge negative effect on our efforts to resume the peace process and do not create the necessary conditions for all parties to engage in a results-oriented dialogue.

We do hope that Turkey will finally adopt a more realistic and constructive approach by refraining from actions which do not create the necessary conditions of establishing an environment conducive to having productive negotiations on an equal footing. We also hope that Turkish stakeholders will finally acknowledge the overwhelming benefit of becoming part of our regional cooperation agenda and of positively working towards a viable solution to the Cyprus problem which would reunify Cyprus and its people and enhance regional stability.

Despite the challenges we face, I wish to assure you that I remain strongly committed in engaging in a new round of negotiations, once conditions permit it, with the aim to reach a lasting, viable and comprehensive settlement to the Cyprus issue, in line with the European acquis, international law and the relevant UN Resolutions. A settlement that will safeguard the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, ensuring the peaceful and prosperous co-existence of all Cypriots, Greek and Turkish, without any third country dependencies, military troops and guarantees.

In welcoming you to Cyprus, I would kindly request you to convey to the President, His Excellency Mr Tabaré Vázquez, my warmest greetings, and a message of sincere friendship and solidarity to the people of Uruguay”.

(SS/SCH)