Expatriates are considered “the best ambassadors” of Cyprus’ interests, Foreign Ministry Permanent Secretary, Ambassador Andreas Kakouris said on Wednesday, noting that the Foreign Ministry is developing a new strategy for cooperation with expatriates.
Kakouris, who was addressing the annual World Conference of Overseas Cypriots, which is taking place in Nicosia, noted that “the Diaspora is a vital, important component of our work and expatriates are considered the best ambassadors of our country’s interests.” For this reason, he continued, the Foreign Ministry is preparing a new strategy for cooperation with expatriates, based on the challenges faced by both the expatriates and the Republic of Cyprus under the burden of the continued Turkish occupation and the aim to use the successes of its foreign policy to achieve its main goal of the reunification of Cyprus.
He also said that this new basis for cooperation, which will be jointly structured with the expatriates, will aim to strengthen meaningful dialogu
e and interaction on a transparent basis with defined objectives and timeframes.
The Foreign Ministry’s Permanent Secretary stressed that despite the negative position of the Turkish side, which insists on the two-state narrative and its efforts to promote internationally an illegal separatist entity, “our side looks forward to the continuation of the work of the United Nations Personal Envoy and the creation of the necessary conditions that will allow the resumption of negotiations as soon as possible within the agreed framework, as defined by the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.
At the same time, he referred, among other things, to the importance of Cyprus’ accession to the European Union, the upcoming Cyprus Presidency of the European Union in 2026, the migration issue, the trilateral cooperation with countries of the Southeastern Mediterranean and the crisis in the Middle East.
Kakouris praised the role of the Diaspora, saying that “your assistance as conveyors of the messages of the
Republic of Cyprus is invaluable.”
On her part, Director of the Service for Cypriot Expatriates and Repatriates, Ambassador Theodora Constantinidou, assured that both she personally, as head of the service, and all members of the expatriate service “are committed to upgrading the cooperation with you, to have a transparent framework of cooperation and sincere dialogue in order to strengthen your efforts to promote the rights of Cyprus and the survival of our communities abroad.”
She stated that “in this context, youth issues have been placed at the core of the priorities of the action to be set out and there will soon be an in-depth dialogue to see what are the support needs from the Centre”.
The conference started earlier with a presentation of the programme of the 30th Session of the POMAK-PSEKA (the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots – POMAK and the International Coordinating Committee ‘Justice for Cyprus’ – PSEKA) Central Council with the Election of the Committee for Documents and Resolutions and t
he Report of the Federations’ Actions.
Furthermore, the Representatives of the Federations from Australia, United Kingdom, Canada, USA, Africa, Greece, France and United Kingdom reported on the actions of their Federations and the problems they face.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.
Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed last January María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency