The
President of the Republic receives the credentials
of
the High Commissioner of Lesotho
The
President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, received today, at a formal
ceremony at the Presidential Palace, the credentials of the High Commissioner of
Lesotho to Cyprus, stationed in London, Ms Felleng Mamakeka Makeka.
Presenting
her credentials, Ms Makeka said:
“Mr
President,
It
is my singular honour and privilege to present to you, Your Excellency, the Letters of Credence by
which it has pleased His Majesty King Letsie III of Lesotho to accredit me as
High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the Republic of Cyprus, as well
as the letter of recall of my predecessor, HRH Prince Bereng Seeiso.
Mr
President,
His
Majesty has charged me with conveying to Your Excellency his personal greetings
and sincere wishes to the Cypriots for the prosperity and well-being of the
people of Cyprus.
Mr
President,
It
may be recalled that formal diplomatic relations between the Kingdom of Lesotho
and the Republic of Cyprus were established in 2004. I have therefore been
entrusted with the important task of strengthening even further existing
relations between our two countries.
The
Kingdom of Lesotho and the Republic of Cyprus have been cooperating within the
framework of the United Nations, and the Commonwealth, sharing common values and
interests such as:
1) Promoting of international and regional
peace, security and good governance.
2) Protection of human
rights.
3) Reduction of poverty through sustainable
economic development.
Mr
President,
It
is His Majesty’s fervent hope therefore, that my appointment as the High
Commissioner to this proud Republic shall foster even tighter bonds of
friendship as we work together towards mutually beneficial goals and pursue
other possible areas of bilateral cooperation.
Mr
President, in this regard, we note with much appreciation and admiration the
emergence of Cyprus from the past decade’s economic crisis. This demonstrates
the fierce determination to succeed by the Cypriot Government and the resilience
of the nationals of Cyprus. Immediate
impact and benefits are already felt in the tourism sector and financial
services, of which the latter underpins a robust and growing business activity.
Indeed Honourable President, you summed up everything eloquently and with great
confidence when you addressed an Investors Summit earlier this year when you
said: “I can state with confidence and
certainty that we have turned the page, the economy is now on the road to
towards a full recovery.”
An
inspiring and reassuring message for countries like Lesotho, which are still
recovering from the aftermath of the global economic crisis.
Mr
President,
Given
such spectacular record of achievements and seeing that more is still within
reach, particularly in the sectors mentioned earlier – including Education
(Scholarships), Tourism, Generation of renewable energy, Trade in agro industry
related products, Healthcare Centres of
Excellence, Human resource development or capacity building, and Agriculture development – the Government
of His Majesty would be most pleased to forge collaborative arrangements in our
common pursuit of bilateral cooperation in these sectors and I have been
mandated by the government to pursue this initiatives by working closely with
your government.
Mr
President,
May
I convey His Majesty’s and his Government’s support to the initiatives towards a
unified Cyprus. Lesotho supports the independence and the territorial integrity
of the Republic of Cyprus and has an unwavering and consistent support for a
solution to the re-unification of Cyprus through peaceful means, on the basis of
a bicommunal, bizonal federation and in accordance with the relevant United
Nations Security Council Resolutions and the High Level Agreements.
Mr
President,
On
behalf of His Majesty and Government, and the people of Lesotho, may I register
our appreciation for the commitment of your Government to support the education
sector, which resulted in the construction of secondary schools in Lesotho, and
scholarships offered to Basotho nationals to study in Cyprus. It is also
recognised with much appreciation that Cyprus has started a programme of
development cooperation and Lesotho has been earmarked as one of the development
partners. These are areas that I believe we can strengthen our relations even
further, and open other avenues for further cooperation.
Mr.
President,
Permit
me in presenting these letters of credence, to convey to you and the people of
the Republic of Cyprus, a warm message of friendship from His Majesty King
Letsie III, the Government and the people of Lesotho, and to express our most
sincere wishes for health and prosperity of Your Excellency, the Government and
people of the Republic of Cyprus.”
Replying
the President of the Republic said:
“Your
Excellency,
It
is with distinct pleasure that I receive today your Letters of Credence
appointing you as the new High Commissioner of the Kingdom of Lesotho to the
Republic of Cyprus, as well as the Letters of Recall of your predecessor. I
would like to assure you that my Government will provide you with every
assistance in the discharge of your high duties.
Cyprus
and Lesotho share a history of cordial bilateral relations and cooperation in
many different international fora, such as the United Nations and the
Commonwealth. May I express on this occasion, my Government’s appreciation for
the record of reciprocal support between Cyprus and Lesotho in International
Organizations.
Within
the framework of our amicable relations, Cyprus has extended financial support
to Lesotho’s endeavors for economic prosperity and social development by
designating the latter as “a priority focus” in its Strategy for Development
Cooperation. Between the years 2006-2011 Cyprus devoted substantial aid
on development projects in Lesotho, with a focus on education
infrastructure.
Furthermore,
the Republic of Cyprus, being a member of the European Union since 2004, has
been able to further expand its relations with your friendly country through the
EU-South African Development Community (SADC) cooperation.
Your
Excellency,
Almost
two years have passed since the decision of the Eurogroup of March 2013. As a
result of the hard work of the Government and the efforts of the ordinary
citizens, I can state with certainty that we have turned the page; the Cypriot
economy is now on the road to recovery.
Cyprus
has made great progress on its reform program during these two years. The credit
institutions have been restructured and recapitalized. New administrators and
boards have assumed office. Most importantly, foreign capital has been invested
both in the Bank of Cyprus and the Hellenic Bank. Domestic restrictions on
capital movements imposed at the height of the crisis have been removed. Public
finances have been consolidated and important structural reforms, including a
privatizations’ roadmap, have been initiated. These achievements helped Cyprus
re-access international capital markets during 2014.
At
the same time, we are aware of the challenges ahead. Unemployment is very high;
the private and public sectors are heavily indebted. The banking sector remains
vulnerable given the high percentage of non-performing loans and tight funding
conditions. Among other initiatives, the Government campaign to attract foreign
investments and the reform of the foreclosure regime and the insolvency
framework are intended to address these challenges.
Our
emphasis is now turned towards the necessary structural reforms. The focus of my
Government is on drafting a growth strategy, a “Cypriot reform program”, with
the overall aim to build the foundations for sustainable growth over the long
run, to attract foreign investments and to create a new economic model for the
country.
The
commitment of my Government to implementing the Memorandum of Understanding
agreed with the Troika is unequivocal. The way forward is not easy, but I have
absolute confidence that the spirit of unity and the drive to succeed already
demonstrated by the people of Cyprus, will prevail.
Your
Excellency,
The
new negotiating process on the Cyprus question, launched with the adoption of
the Joint Declaration of 11 February 2014, raised expectations for a
comprehensive settlement and the reunification of our country and its people.
Turkey’s illegal and provocative actions in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone
since October 2014, however, subverted the very basic principle of negotiations,
that is, the engagement of all sides on an equal footing, free from threats and
blackmail. Under these circumstances, there was no option for the Government of
Cyprus but to suspend talks.
The
resumption of results-oriented negotiations, aiming at a comprehensive, viable
and fair settlement of the Cyprus issue, remains our first priority. A
settlement based on a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, as
set out in the relevant Security Council Resolutions and the High Level
Agreements, with a single international legal personality, a single sovereignty
and a single citizenship, safeguarding the principles upon which the European
Union is founded and ensuring the peaceful co-existence and prosperity of all
Cypriots.
At
the same time, a settlement would have a positive impact on the entire region,
while first and foremost benefiting Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots,
respecting democratic principles, human rights and fundamental freedoms and
ensuring their common future in a united Cyprus within the European Union.
What
we need now is the implementation of measures that will restore confidence, and
not measures that increase mistrust among the legal citizens of the island,
through actions that violate international law. In this respect, I call the
Turkish Cypriot leadership and in particular Turkey to demonstrate genuine
political will and negotiate in good faith, so as to contribute constructively
to the efforts to reach a settlement as soon as possible, not only in theory and
rhetoric, but through practical and substantial actions.
On
my behalf, I would like to reiterate my sincere willingness and determination to
work tirelessly to achieve a settlement reuniting Cyprus. It is the historically
shared responsibility of the leaders of the two communities and all stakeholders
involved to uphold these ambitions and find the right forward. It is a
responsibility which I am whole-heartedly committed in undertaking.
Your
Excellency,
I
sincerely wish you every success in your important duties and while welcoming
you to Cyprus, I would kindly request that you convey to His Royal Highness King
Letsie III, my personal wishes for good health and prosperity.”
Present
at the ceremony were the Minister of Agriculture, Rural Development and
Environment, Mr Nicos Kouyialis, the Head of Presidency at the Presidential
Palace, Mr Kypros Kyprianou, and the Chief of Protocol, Mr Marios
Kountourides.
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