Cypriot president grateful for frontline heroes

Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades expressed his deep gratitude for “heroes on the front line” in his New Year’s Eve address, adding that elected politicians “owe to the people” to pass crucial reforms in the new year.

In a televised address on Thursday evening, Anastasiades spoke about the coronavirus pandemic, saying 2020 will go down as one of the most devastating years for humanity during peace time in modern history.

The President took time to express his deep gratitude for the heroes on the front lines and all those “fighting to give the rest of us hope, help those in need, and stand ready to assist each and everyone of us.”

“I am grateful and thank everyone from the bottom of my heart,” the President said, adding that he understood it would be tough on some people to ring in the New Year without the company of loved ones.

Anastasiades also acknowledged that Cyprus was struggling to respond to a challenging phase of the pandemic, avoiding harsher measures taken by European and other countries but also noting “there is no room for relaxing measures because this would lead to even stronger measures than other countries have taken.”

The President also reiterated his commitment to a settlement of the Cyprus issue in such a way that “first and foremost it would lead to a solution that secures functionality and viability for the state and allows mutual respect within peace, security, stability, and progress, without foreign dependencies.”

Anastasiades also took a moment to address reforms, one of his biggest campaign promises, saying he was confident that elected politicians would reach across the aisle to work together in passing crucial reforms for the good of the people.

“I am confident that political parties will set aside their ideological differences, which must be respected, in order to work together so that crucial reforms for the good of the people will be implemented in the new year,” the President said.

The President’s agenda included corruption legislation, reforming civil service and local administration, justice reform, and revamping the educational system.

Anastasiades also vowed to carry on with healthcare reform, establishing a deputy ministry of culture, as well as reorganizing, improving, and upgrading the welfare state by instituting a deputy ministry of social welfare.