The new members of the Council of Ministers gave the statutory assurance before the President of the Republic
We have before us very important challenges in the great effort to change our country, said today the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis, at the assurance ceremony of the new members of the Council of Ministers, namely the new Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, Mr. Michalis Damianou, the new Minister of Labor and Social Insurance, Mr. Marinos Myusiouttas, the new Minister of Justice and Public Order, etc. Konstantinos Fitiris, and the new Minister of Health, Mr. Neophytos Charalambidis. Appointments were also received by the new Deputy Minister of Social Welfare, Ms. Clea Hadjistefanou-Papaellina, and the new Commissioner of the Presidency, Mr. Marios Hartsiotis.
The following is the full text of the speech of the President of the Republic at the assurance ceremony, followed by the rebuttal by the new Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry, on behalf of the newly appointed members of the Council of Ministers.
"I welcome the new members of the Council of Ministers and the Commissioner of the Presidency, who from today become fellow travelers in the great effort we are making, to implement our governance program, which is, as I have stated many times publicly, also our social contract with the Cypriot people. A governance program based on the ideology of Social Liberalism, which wants the state to serve the principles of equality and solidarity, ensuring the individual rights of all citizens and, at the same time, creating a favorable environment for business, investment and all drivers of economic activity and social development.
A governance program with five key priorities:
First: Outward-looking foreign policy, with clear orientation and strong Defense and Security,
Second: Resilient and Strong Economy,
Third: Modernization of the State and Continuous Reforms,
Fourth: Transparency, Accountability and Combating Corruption, and
Fifth: Improving the Daily Life of Citizens.
The highest priority, of course, and our primary goal is the end of the occupation and the reunification of our homeland. Approaching the completion of the third year of government, the results prove the consistency of words and projects in the implementation of what we have promised pre-election, but also post-election.
The country is in the best economic situation of the last decades, which allows us to proceed with effective and targeted social interventions for the benefit of the vulnerable groups of the population, in horizontal measures for households and businesses, and to invest substantially in Education, Health, Housing, improving the everyday life of the citizen.
We are proceeding with the implementation of bold reforms in critical sectors that strengthen the Rule of Law, improve services offered to citizens, serve our policy of transparency, accountability and zero tolerance for any corruption phenomena. We strengthen all the power factors of our country, internal and external. Internally, we are strengthening the deterrent capacity of the National Guard, we are successfully facing the great challenge of the Immigration and with initiatives and actions we are upgrading the international status of the Republic of Cyprus.
All that I mentioned above intersects horizontally with the program of our government, serving, at the same time, the highest goal we have set for the liberation and reunification of our homeland. We are continuing the great effort to restart the negotiations, based on the agreed framework, from the point where they were interrupted in Crans-Montana, with respect for the negotiating acquis and the principles and values of the European Union (EU). And I repeat that, despite the obstacles and challenges, I am convinced that the wall of occupation is not impenetrable.
Apart from the political aspect, today's ceremony also has a human dimension, because we are welcoming new officials to the Council of Ministers and, at the same time, I am saying goodbye to friends and colleagues, with whom we worked closely.
I want to publicly thank the outgoing members of the Council of Ministers for the great effort they put into the implementation of flagship policies of our governance program.
Mr. George Papanastasiou for the opening of the competitive electricity market, the important agreements for the exploitation of natural gas in the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) and the promotion of our country's energy planning, in an extremely difficult and complex environment.
Mr. Marios Hartsiotis for effectively promoting bold reforms, among many others, in the Audit Service and the Legal Service.
Mr. Yiannis Panagiotou for reaching a permanent agreement on the Automatic Price Adjustment (ATA), the increase of the national minimum wage and the planning of demographic policy measures.
Ms. Marilena Evangelou for the modernization of the Minimum Guaranteed Income (MIG), as well as the relevant, for the first time, legislation for the social integration of people with disabilities.
Mr. Michalis Damianos for the promotion of important legislation for the regulation of the operation of university clinics and ambulances, as well as the implementation of the decongestion system of the Accident and Emergency Departments (TAEP) and, of course, the institutionalization of the patient advocate.
I thank them all from the bottom of my heart, because with their work they established policies that will benefit the citizens for decades to come. And I am absolutely certain that their successors will build on these foundations in an institutional, productive and efficient manner.
Dear new members of the Council of Ministers,
You are taking over at a particularly demanding time. We have before us very important challenges in the great effort to change our country, while, at the same time, in a few days, the Republic of Cyprus will assume the Presidency of the Council of the EU, which we approach as a national mission of the utmost importance. I have no doubt that you will all respond adequately, conscientiously and with dedication, so that we can carry out all that we have promised to the Cypriot people, to whom we are solely accountable.
I address the new members of the Government, the newly appointed Ministers, the Deputy Minister and the Commissioner, with appreciation, with respect and an exhortation; to work tirelessly, to be informed about all the issues in your portfolio, to make use of the experience of the technocrats of your Ministry and, of course, to invest in the human resources of the Public Administration, but also of your partners.
I ask you to seek cooperation with all the institutions of the state, the legislature and the judiciary, the political forces, the social partners, the various professional and other affected groups, but, above all, I want and expect you to have constant contact with the citizens, to listen to the pulse of society and, far from populist approaches and cheap bigotry, to do what is necessary when you have demands in front of you fair, legitimate and justified that can be implemented.
I ask all of you to serve the public interest on the basis of legality, to act with commitment to the principle of transparency and to strictly adhere to the Charter of Ethics, which binds all of us, all members of the Government.
The position you assume today is a position of debt, because it requires dedication and, of course, a lot of personal deprivation. The term of your mandate is clear: to intensify and speed up the implementation of our government program, which is centered on people, improving the standard of living of citizens, upgrading the quality of life in their daily lives, without discrimination, without exceptions, without any exclusions.
ladies and gentlemen,
In conclusion, I want to address all the members of the Cabinet and my colleagues. Our daily judge is the Cypriot people. Our compass is the Constitution, the laws, our European and international obligations of the Republic of Cyprus.
We are all accountable to the Cypriot people and to no one else. We are members of a Government with a clear ideological-political orientation and with the aim to change Cyprus for the better, to take it further, to raise it higher. With an ideological foundation of Social Liberalism and with a foreign policy that has as a stable compass the European-Western orientation, we march with the Security, Reliability and Power that our resilient and competitive economy offers us, having the absolute certainty that even better days will come for our country and our people."
For his part, the new Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry Mr. Michalis Damianos, speaking on behalf of all the new appointees, said, among other things: "We are fully aware that every decision, every policy and every action we take will be judged strictly by the society and citizens of Cyprus. We know that hard work, perseverance and dedication are required to deliver on the commitments we make and meet the high expectations we have set as a Government.
In the almost three years of the current administration, a diverse and significant work has been accomplished. This, however, does not make us complacent, as with determination and boldness, we must give our utmost for the overall implementation of the governance programme. Completing the program is not just a political commitment. It is a decisive act for the future of our country and the well-being of its citizens.
Our goal is to implement reforms and further strengthen the conditions for growth, stability and prosperity in our country. Fully aware of the responsibility and the burden we bear, I assure you that we will cooperate closely and comprehensively, giving our best in every area assigned to us."
He also stated that they will work for the benefit of the interests of Cyprus and its citizens, noting that society requires "transparency and respect for the values of democracy and meritocracy" and pointing out that "we are prepared to take difficult decisions for the good of the country, even if they require us to bear political costs. This is our real mission and challenge, which we undertake with courage and responsibility."
Finally, he said that "we will work with all our strength to honor your choice and bring results that will justify the trust of the Cypriot people".
