Welcome
address on behalf of the President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades,
by
the Minister of Justice and Public Order, Mr Ionas Nicolaou,
at
the XXI IPA World Congress in Limassol
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It is with great pleasure that I address
and have placed under my auspices the 21ST
IPA World Congress of the International Police Association, which takes place in
our country for the first time.
It is a privilege and an honour for
Cyprus to be organising this significant congress, as it provides us with the
unique opportunity to perform a critical role in promoting the high aims of the
International Police Association.
Being informed about the aims and
ambitions of the IPA, I have to stress that I strongly support all the efforts
made by the Association to promote respect towards the laws and the principles
of justice. Mutual understanding and friendship, productive communication and
contact amongst the members, are the primary qualities of this Association. I
consider the exchange of professional knowledge and experience as one of the
most valuable targets, which form a common basis for consolidating
international understanding.
The chief professional aim of the Police
is the offer of services to the public, which would have no outcome without the
close cooperation amongst its members, especially under the most difficult and
adverse circumstances. It is for this
reason that Police officers particularly deserve all of our help and support in
their efforts to promote the well-being of the society.
There have been many changes in the
World since the Foundation of the IPA in 1950. The challenges the Police Force
has to deal with become more
and more demanding. Rise in criminal methods and acts
worldwide, along with the new trends of technological advancement have made
nowadays demands more vigorous. Therefore, the activities of the police are
open to the greater public evaluation and constantly undergo public scrutiny. The
call for public accountability is more intense than ever and the Police Force
has to be able to respond to today’s challenges in an effective and qualitative
manner.
I am certain that the congress will elaborate
and contribute to the work and mission of the Police Service in order to
determine those conditions and which will allow it to proceed unimpaired its
productive work and contribute to progress and development of our countries and
to the well-being of all peoples.
Welcoming our guests, I would like to
wish you all a pleasant stay on our island, which unfortunately remains divided
as the result of the Turkish invasion in 1974. However, I want to believe that the determination and the initiatives
we are undertaking will create the conditions so as to achieve a solution
within the agreed common framework.
Cyprus can no longer be a European state whose human rights and basic freedoms are perpetually violated. We seek to safeguard the right of every Cypriot citizen to choose for themselves their place of residence and work, to choose on their own where to live in a state that will secure their rights within the framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, as it has been agreed. We strive for an honorable solution that will transform our wishes into a functional system of governance with all the European characteristics.
We call on Turkey, one more time, to demonstrate its good will, but at the same time, we can only ascertain at the negotiating table whether or not this good will exists. We will be there, ready, creative and firm, with self-confidence, because we know what it is that we seek and how we can achieve it.
I wish to declare once again that we
maintain hope and firmly believe that the occupation will come to an end and
that on your next visit to our island, you will be able to visit every corner
of our beautiful island.
Furthermore, I cannot omit the fact that
I am impressed by IPA’s contributions to charity. For this particular event,
“Children with special needs” is the chosen charity to be supported and thus, I
would like to congratulate the Cyprus Section of IPA for their initiative.
Finally,
I warmly congratulate the Chairman and the members of the Cyprus Section of the
International Police Association and also the Heads of the Cyprus Police for
the excellent organization of this Congress.
I
declare the opening of the works of the 21st World Congress of the
IPA and wish you every success in your deliberations.
