The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, described the developments between the Legal Service and Audit Office as very unpleasant, noting that institutions must operate on the basis of the Constitution.
Speaking to journalists at an event in Nicosia hosted by the Ombudsman, when asked to comment on the situation between the Legal Service and the Audit Service, the President stated, “It’s a very unpleasant development. I expect the institutions, as the Cypriot people do, to cooperate based on the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.”
“These issues are not personal. We represent institutions and we must, I repeat, cooperate based on the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus.”
“At this stage, I don’t want to say anything else about this specific issue.”
He added, “It’s a very unpleasant development, and these are not just my feelings, they are also the feelings of the Cypriot people, and I repeat, institutions must cooperate based on the Constitution. There is a Constitution. The country must and should operate as expected by all citizens, based on the Constitution.”
Asked about the German President’s visit to Turkey today and what to expect regarding Cyprus, the President said:
“We have the German President’s visit to Turkey, we have Ms. Holguin’s visits to Paris, Brussels, Berlin, and then Cyprus. Two meetings with her have already been scheduled, and we expect based on the conclusions of the European Council connecting the developments in EU-Turkish relations with progress in Cyprus, to see how things will evolve in practice. What I can say from our side is that we are ready, we hope there will be developments, we have a specific plan on how positive conditions can be created for everyone, and let’s hope we will achieve what we aim for, which is the resumption of talks.”
Asked about the next steps regarding Migration, the President of the Republic said, “You understand that during the European Council, I officially requested to start the discussion so that some areas in Syria can be designated as safe zones based on data that they are safe zones, and we know that some areas are. I want to express my satisfaction that a number of member states supported our position. I would also note that there was no reaction or negative stance on this particular issue.
“Furthermore, you know that on May 2nd, I will travel to Lebanon with the President of the European Commission.
“It was an initiative of the Republic of Cyprus, another development within our holistic approach to address this issue, which greatly concerns us.”
Asked when he will proceed with the appointment of a Deputy Minister for Migration, the President of the Republic replied, “immediately.”
