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President: EU sanctions should be targeted

11/05/2022 16:48

The cost of EU sanctions against Russia should not be greater on the economies of member states than on the Russian economy, Cyprus President, Nicos Anastasiades, stressed on Wednesday, noting that this is why they should be targeted, with a specific impact on the sectors they aim to affect. Moreover, he underlined that the decision of Turkey not to align itself with the sanctions against Russia is deplorable.

Anastasiades was speaking during a joint press conference with Prime Minister of Croatia, Andrej Plenković, who is paying an official visit to Cyprus. Both Anastasiades and Plenković expressed in their statements support to Ukraine's sovereignty and territorial integrity.

Moreover they underlined the need to further enhance cooperation between Croatia and Cyprus and stressed the need for concluding an agreement on double taxation avoidance.

The Croatian Prime Minister said that he conveyed to President Anastasiades his impressions from his visit to Kiev on May 8. "We both shared our concerns about the unacceptable Russian aggression, violating all the principles of the international law, all the values of the international order," he noted, and referred to the vast humanitarian crisis caused due to the war.

He assured that Croatia as well as Cyprus "will continue to support Ukraine and its fight for freedom and for the values that we all stand for," expressing also support to the restrictive measures and sanctions that the EU has adopted against Russia.

Referring to the Cyprus problem, the Croatian PM expressed support to ideas that would increase confidence in Cyprus, adding that "Croatia’s position has always been a principled one, supporting your efforts, advocating a peaceful solution and supporting all efforts that would bring the parties closer and that Cyprus could function in accordance with the plan that you have suggested, that is in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions respecting the international law your sovereignty and integrity and this position will not alter, it has been a continuous and very clear one."

On his part, Anastasiades referring to the issue of Ukraine said that he had the opportunity to receive first-hand information by Prime Minister Plenković about the situation on the ground, following his recent visit to Kiev, on the 8th of May.  "We both understand that since the 24th of February and the ensuing massive humanitarian crisis, the situation is deteriorating at alarming speed," he added.

Anastasiades said that from the very first moment, the EU and its member states have consistently supported Ukraine in political, diplomatic, financial and technical matters and will continue to do so.

He stressed that "we have also stressed our unwavering support to Ukraine’s independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognised borders."

"At the same time, we have been united in adopting sanctions against Russia, in an attempt to apply pressure to review its actions, cease hostilities and engage in negotiations to find a diplomatic solution, Anastasiades added.

He said that "we are aware that these sanctions, inevitably, come at a cost for our own economies.  However this cost should not be greater on the economies of Member States than on the Russian economy. That is why they should be targeted, with a specific impact on the sectors they aim to affect."

Anastasiades also noted that "the other thing we have to bear in mind is that for our policy to have maximum impact, third countries which are associated with the EU must align its foreign and security policies with those of the Union."

"I am referring, among others, to Turkey. The decision of Turkey not to align itself with the sanctions against Russia is deplorable and it is only fitting that the EU applies pressure on Turkey to also adopt those sanctions and abandon its self-serving behaviour, which, among other things, undermines the intended effect of the sanctions," he added.

Referring to the Cyprus problem he said that it is a European problem as well and that he briefed Prime Minister Plenković on his constant initiatives to overcome various challenges and achieve the resumption of peace talks, "with a number of bold Confidence Building Measures at the core of this effort as a first step to establish an environment conducive for productive settlement talks to take place."

Anastasiades expressed disappointment over the immediate rejection of his proposed measures by Turkey and the Turkish Cypriot side, which "by creating tensions through illegal and provocative actions on the ground and the sea, and by insisting on proposals in contravention of all UN resolutions and the agreed framework, prove that they are only interested in political gains and not reaching a settlement that will lead to lasting peace."

"However, despite the continuous setbacks, I once again made it absolutely clear to Prime Minister Plenković that I will spare no effort and I will continue to insist on the need for the Turkish Cypriot side to return to the negotiating table and resume peace talks from the point where they were suspended," he stressed.

Moreover, he expressed deep appreciation to Prime Minister Plenković "for his continued support in our efforts to reach a lasting and functional settlement, as well as for Croatia’s firm position in support of our sovereign rights."

Anastasiades said that the Croatian PM's visit "constitutes a turning point in the relations between our two countries, since it is the first ever visit of a Croatian Prime Minister to the Republic of Cyprus, while next year we will also celebrate another important milestone: The 30th anniversary of the establishment of relations between our countries."

He added  that "during these 30 years we have enjoyed the continuous deepening and expansion of our relationship, as evident by the important agreements that our countries have concluded in a wide range of areas, which today form the institutional framework and the backbone of our bilateral ties."

He said that he was particularly pleased to note that "the high level of political dialogue we have established in recent years has enabled our cooperation to enter into a new phase, with concrete and pragmatic value, especially in the fields of Education, Tourism, Trade and Investments."

He also pointed out the "great significance we attach to the conclusion of the Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation between Cyprus and Croatia, which will prove of significant added value to our existing economic ties."

As regards Tourism, he said he is  confident that the increase of direct flights and the flow of passengers between the two countries over the last two years "will continue to contribute to the further strengthening of our cooperation in this sector."

"During our deliberations today, we also agreed on the need to undertake ambitious initiatives, aimed at increasing the volume of our bilateral trade of goods and services, as well as the implementation of promising investment programs that will foster the cooperation between the business communities of our two countries," Anastasiades said.

He added that they both pay special attention to digital transformation. He said that Cyprus has recently signed a relevant Memorandum of Understanding with Estonia, a leading country in this field, and that he expressed "our interest to explore the potential of establishing a similar mutually beneficial collaboration with Croatia as well."

Moreover, he noted that he proposed to Prime Minister Plenković the signing of a Memorandum of Understanding in the Maritime sector.

Anastasiades also said that they discussed about Migration, the EU security and defence role, and the gradual increase of its military in complementarity with other partners; climate change; and the rise in energy prices which has deteriorated in the aftermath of the war in Ukraine.

He noted that they spoke about the necessity to increase EU energy independence as a strategic priority and the urgency to speed up projects that can enhance this effort.

"In this regard, I had the opportunity to brief the Prime Minister about projects such as the EastMed pipeline and the electrical interconnections from the Eastern Mediterranean and North Africa to Europe, which have the potential to bolster EU energy security," he said.

He noted that the EastMed Pipeline - which is an EU Project of Common Interest - is still being assessed in terms of its economic sustainability.

"But the fact remains that this project has the capacity to significantly assist the EU with energy diversification and supply it with an additional steady supply of natural gas," he added.

As for the EuroAsia and EuroAfrica interconnector, respectively, he said that they are intended to stabilise the regional power supply, while, in addition, they will also address Cyprus’ energy isolation.

As regards the situation in the Western Balkans he noted that "with the Prime Minister we shared our concerns about the worrying resurgence of tensions in the region, but at the same time we agreed on our resolute commitment to support the countries of the Western Balkans even more and to take forward the region’s future in the EU, in accordance with the established conditionalities."

On his part, the Prime Minister of Croatia said, among other things, that the political understanding and the intensity of the political dialogue between the two countries, including the cooperation of the respective Foreign Ministries, is to be commended, adding that there is huge space for investments in many fields, such as in petrol and chemical industry, pharmaceutical companies, electrical engineering, IT sector and with regard to digital cooperation.

He added that the respective ministries of the two countries will follow up in order to increase the volume of trade.

He also noted the importance of concluding the Agreement on Avoidance of Double Taxation, pointing out that everything should be ready by next November.  

He also said that direct flights will facilitate tourism.

The Croatian Prime Minister noted that with the President they discussed about migration, which puts a strain in Cyprus’ migration policy since it receives large numbers of illegal migrants coming from Turkey, Africa and elsewhere.

He also noted that the cooperation in the field of energy is most important given the spike of the energy crises after Russia’s invasion in Ukraine, adding that both countries can explore ways on how to benefit from each other’s potentials when it comes to gas, pipelines and other investments.

«We can use the liquified natural gas terminal that Croatia has built» that has been supported by the EU, he said.