President kicks off tour of rural communities
President Nikos Christodoulides will make a tour of rural and remote mountainous areas around the Republic to kickstart a process of rejuvenation, government spokesman Constantinos Letymbiotis announced on Tuesday.
The initiative is due to start later on Tuesday when Christodoulides will meet representatives of rural mountain communities at the Amiantos cultural centre in Kato Amiantos at 5pm.
This will mark the beginning of a series of visits to several remote areas which will have a twofold aim: on the one hand, to encourage the exchange of views between social and institutional bodies, and on the other, to help make decisions that will act as catalysts in the development of these regions.
Troodos was chosen to host the first meeting in recognition of its long-term social, economic, cultural and environmental contributions to the island, the spokesman said.
“The rejuvenation of mountainous areas is, for the government and President Christodoulides himself, a bet we aspire to win through the planning and implementation of integrated policies, strategies and measures, with the active participation of all stakeholders being a necessary and essential component,” he added.
Letymbiotis went on to explain that the president and relevant ministers, together with the commissioner for mountain communities, have examined a series of requests submitted on issues concerning these regions, “to form a productive dialogue about our priorities today”.
Strategic planning, vision and collaboration are key for the meaningful rejuvenation of the countryside, he said, expressing the government’s hope that this will encourage the adoption of measures, “which will be vital in building conditions of prosperity, potential and development” for “the lungs of Cyprus”.