Press Releases

The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, received yesterday, Thursday 26 July 2018, at a formal ceremony at the Presidential Palace, the credentials of the Ambassador of the Lao People’s Democratic Republic to the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Kham-Inh Khitchadeth.

Presenting his credentials, Ambassador Khitchadeth said:

“Your Excellency Mr. Nicos Anastasiades, President of the Republic of Cyprus,

First of all, please allow me to convey the warmest message from His Excellency Mr Boungnang Vorachit, President of the Lao People's Democratic Republic wishing every success, prosperity and happiness to Your Excellency as well as to the entire people and Government of the Republic of Cyprus. My President also conveys his wishes for strengthening the friendly relations and cooperation between our two countries to be further enhanced in the future.

Your Excellency,

May I express my most sincere gratitude and appreciation to Your Excellency for kindly granting me to present my Credentials appointing me as Ambassador Extraordinary and plenipotentiary of the Lao People's Democratic Republic to the Republic of Cyprus with Residence in Geneva, Switzerland as well as the Letters of Recall of my predecessor.

I would like to recall that the Republic of Cyprus and the Lao PDR established diplomatic relations on 29 June 2015. Since then, the two countries have constantly maintained good and friendly relations.

However, as the current information indicates that the Republic of Cyprus and the Lao PDR have not yet the substantive socio-economic cooperation and from my point of views that the 21^st century is the era of cooperation. The long distance between the Republic of Cyprus and the Lao PDR is not the obstacle for cooperation; therefore, I would like to propose to Your Excellency and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus to consider in promoting cooperation of the two countries in various areas such as peace and security, economy, trade, culture, education, science and technology, tourism, etc.

Your Excellency,

Please allow to sincerely congratulate the progress of socio-economic development of the Republic of Cyprus in the past years which bring peace, happiness and prosperity to the people of the Republic of Cyprus and I would also like to highly value an important role that the Republic of Cyprus has been playing in the international community such as an active involvement in process that aims to promote international cooperation on peace and stability and sustainable development, being EU Chairmanship in 2012, being party of various international organizations such as EU, United Nations, NAM, UNESCO, UNHCR, WTO, WHO, etc.

Your Excellency,

As the Ambassador of the Lao PDR to the Republic of Cyprus and with Your Excellency's kind support, I would like to devote myself to do my utmost in further strengthening of friendly relations and socio-economic development cooperation between our two countries as well as the cooperation in the international and multilateral fora, including the implementation of Sustainable Development Goals.

On this auspicious occasion, may I extend my best wishes to Your Excellency, all distinguished people and Government of the Republic of Cyprus happiness, prosperity and long life peace.

May the friendship and good cooperation between our two countries be further enhanced and strengthened in the years to come.

I thank you very much Your Excellency Mr President for your kind and warm receiving me today.”

Receiving the credentials, the President of the Republic said:

“Your Excellency,

I warmly accept your Letters of Credence as non-resident Ambassador of Laos to Cyprus. I wish to assure you that my Government will provide you with every assistance in performing your high duties aiming at the enhancement of the cooperation between our two countries.

I am also confident that during your tenure we will be able to improve the friendly relations between our two countries and upgrade them by exploring possibilities of concluding bilateral agreements in various fields, particularly in trade, finance, tourism, education and culture.  

Furthermore, my Government and I personally stand ready to explore the potential of enhancing our cooperation in international organisations and multilateral fora, particularly within the United Nations and towards the internationally common goals of development, peace, human rights and international law.

As an EU member state, Cyprus strongly supports the close relations that the EU pursues with Laos as part of its Asia cooperation strategy. Within this context, we will continue to extend our support in efforts to the advancement of EU-Laos relations and, by extension, strengthening the cooperation between the EU and South East Asia.

Your Excellency,

With a renewed mandate by the people, my top priority remains none other than addressing the unacceptable current state of affairs with the continuing Turkish occupation of 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, since there is no doubt that lasting peace and stability can only be achieved through the comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.

To this end, on numerous occasions, I reiterated in the clearest terms to the UN Secretary-General, our partners in the EU, the Permanent and non-Permanent Members of the Security Council and the international community in general, that I remain strongly committed to resuming the negotiating process.

What is of course required is to create those necessary conditions that will allow the dialogue to resume on the basis of good will and constructive stance from all stakeholders, particularly by the Turkish side, in order to safeguard the positive outcome of the negotiations.

The above-mentioned were reiterated during my recent fruitful meeting with the Special Envoy of the UN Secretary-General, during which I also stressed that I remain sincerely committed to negotiate a solution within the framework set by the Secretary-General, as clarified on July 04, 2017, with the same determination and positive attitude we have demonstrated since the beginning of the dialogue. Within this context, I do hope that the meetings of the special envoy of the United Nations which will soon take place with all other interested parties and stakeholders involved will allow the Secretary-General to be in a position to resume negotiations.

Taking this opportunity, I wish to remind that the failure of the Conference on Cyprus in July 2017 was precisely due to Turkey’s insistence on its long-standing position in maintaining the continuation of the anachronistic system of guarantees, the unilateral right of intervention, and the permanent presence of Turkish troops.

I also wish to remind that our side submitted comprehensive written proposals for each and every one of Mr Guterres six-point framework, including on a new security architecture that would replace anachronisms and the strategic aspirations of third countries against Cyprus.

Having said the above, at the same time we should also not ignore the remaining significant differences on the other chapters of the Cyprus problem. Differences that can be easily resolved by adopting and respecting what is considered as our obligation: The European acquis.

It is only through adhering to these fundamental principles which determine that a member-state of the United Nations and the European Union cannot be considered truly independent and sovereign if it is not free of any third country dependencies, that we can truly establish the conditions for prosperity and peaceful co-existence between all the citizens of Cyprus, in an environment of safety and stability.

I truly wish that both our Turkish Cypriots compatriots and Turkey will respond positively to the new prospect that is presented again upon us, taking into account in a comprehensive manner and without being selective, the provisions set by the Secretary-General at the Conference in Crans Montana.

I wish to reassure you, once again, of my determination to work tirelessly to reach a comprehensive settlement that will finally reunify our island after 44 years of division, ensuring conditions of safety for the future generations of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, without any third country military troops or guarantees. A settlement that will satisfy the genuine desire of our people, especially of the younger generations, to live together and peacefully co-exist, collaborate and prosper in a European country which fully respects their fundamental human rights and freedoms.

And aside the obvious fact that the solution of the Cyprus Problem would be first and foremost to the benefit of all Cypriots:

(i)            On a regional level it would turn Cyprus into a model-country of stability and predictability and would amplify Cyprus’ role as a security provider in one of the most turbulent areas of the world.

(ii)          At a European level, it would end the oxymoron of having one of its member-states being divided, while it would also positively reinforce EU-Turkey’s relations and the overall security architecture of the EU.

(iii)         Last, but not least, the solution of an international problem which has been on the agenda of the United Nations in the last decades, will offer a beacon of hope that even the most intractable problems can be solved peacefully through the United Nations.

Taking into consideration the aforesaid, Excellency, and in expressing the deep appreciation of the Government and the people of Cyprus for the support of Lao People’s Democratic Republic to our continuous efforts to reach a just, viable and comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem, in line with the relevant UN Security Council Resolutions and the EU law, values and principles, please allow me to stress the importance in exerting Your influence, individually and through multilateral fora, to Turkey in order to revisit its intransigent positions and demands that are not in line with Cyprus’s capacity as a member-state of the EU, so as to create sound prospects of achieving an overall agreement.

Your Excellency,

During the past few years we have succeeded in turning an economy in distress into a story of strong economic recovery that gained international praise.

The positive repercussions of an ambitious reform programme and the careful management of state finances are being reflected through, among others, successive budget surpluses, a dynamic growth rate of 4%, a drastic reduction in unemployment, consecutive upgrades of our economy by international rating agencies, as well as a significant reduction in taxation.

At the same time, despite the economic difficulties we have faced, our country’s comparative advantages not only remain intact, but have been further enhanced and expanded. These include one of the most competitive corporate tax rates, a significant network of Agreements for Avoidance of Double Taxation, a highly qualified and professional workforce and a fully EU harmonised tax and legal system.

The combination of the above, in conjunction with the reforms in the public sector and the enhancement of the tax and legal frameworks, resulted in renewed substantial investments in a wide range of sectors. The operation of oil and gas giants in our Exclusive Economic Zone, the licensing of the first integrated casino resort with an investment of more than half a billion euro, an impressive 18% annual increase in investment funds’ registration, the record numbers of the tourism industry in both arrivals and revenue and the commercialization of the Limassol port, it is evident that our efforts have borne fruit.

The challenge now is to keep up the momentum and ensure that Cyprus remains on a path of sustainable growth. To this end, maintaining the reform momentum is imperative. The entire planning for the years 2018-2023 is a continuation of everything we achieved during my first term in office. With this in mind, we will continue consultations with the parliamentary parties with a view to gain their support for our reforms programme, in the fields of public service, education, health, the judiciary system and e-governance.

We also aim to continue with the policy of tax reductions and provide new incentives, in order to further boost entrepreneurship and attract new investments, with emphasis placed on innovation and start-ups. The new Investment Law to fast-track licensing procedures for large investments and the establishment of new enhanced investment funds framework, are crucial steps in this direction.

At the same time, the newly-established Deputy Ministry of Shipping offers substantial support and attention to the already thriving maritime sector of Cyprus and we have no doubt that the Deputy Ministry of Tourism, planned to be operational by January 1^st of 2019, will enhance even further the growing tourist industry. Most importantly, we will continue to invest in our people and work with determination and passion to drive change, progress and prosperity in our country.

Your Excellency,

In the execution of your High Duties you may count on the full support of both myself and the Government of the Republic of Cyprus. Ambassador Kham-Inh Khitchadeth, I sincerely welcome you to Cyprus and wish you a productive tenure.

RM/AH/II