The 28th Session of the International
Maritime Organization (IMO) Assembly which is being held at IMO Headquarters,
London, from 25 November to 4 December, elected today the members of the
Council of the Organization, responsible for supervising and coordinating the
Organization’s work for the next biennium. .
During the voting, Cyprus submitted its candidacy to be re-elected as member
of the Council in Category (c) comprising 20 elected member states of the IMO.
Twenty-four countries, in total, submitted their candidacy to the Council. Out
of the 157 countries which voted, Cyprus secured the support of 132, and
therefore, the fourth highest number of votes, after South Africa which
received 134 votes.
Cyprus’s participation in the IMO Council is
considered particularly important as it provides the country with the
possibility of taking part in the decision-making process affecting shipping
and reinforces our actions for further promotion of our country as an important
international maritime power as well as our position in the framework of the
European Union.
Cyprus was first elected to the Council in the
aforementioned category in 1987, and has been re-elected ever since in the same
category. During the last decade Cyprus ranks among the first four in the
number of votes received and its candidacy is supported, on average, by the 82%
of the Organization’s member states, as a result of its successful work in the
framework of the Council as well as of the intense efforts made before and
during the Assembly.
This year’s success reflects the continuous and
remarkable contribution of Cyprus to the Organization’s work as well as the
appreciation of the member states with respect to this contribution. The
ongoing support of member states in recent years constitutes tangible proof of
the consistency with which our country participates, effectively and constructively,
in international maritime affairs.
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