The President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, responded positively to the requests of the Farmaka Community regarding the preparation of studies for an open-air amphitheater, the paving of the Farmaka-Apliki road, and the construction of a biological wastewater removal and treatment system.
In his remarks at the inauguration of the project to revitalize the traditional center of the Farmaka Community, the President noted that Farmaka is one of the communities that has seen a population increase, now numbering 440 people.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
Referring to the revitalization of the traditional center, with a total cost of €1.5 million, President Christodoulides said that it essentially revitalizes the heart of the community and improves residents’ daily lives.
Regarding the requests made to him by the Community, the President called for the completion of the study on the amphitheater as soon as possible, so that it can be included among the co-funded projects, on which the Council of Ministers will make a decision in September 2027.
Regarding the other two projects (paving the Farmaka-Aplikio road and constructing a biological wastewater removal and treatment system), the President stated that, if they are ready, “we are prepared to have them submitted to us so that we can move forward.”
Η καρδιά της Κοινότητας Φαρμακά αποκτά νέα όψη, με την ανάπλαση του παραδοσιακού της πυρήνα, την αναβάθμιση των δημόσιων χώρων και την ανάδειξη της ιδιαίτερης φυσιογνωμίας και του παραδοσιακού της χαρακτήρα, προς όφελος της καθημερινότητας των κατοίκων και της τοπικής κοινωνίας. Το έργο, συνολικής δαπάνης €1,5 εκατομμυρίου, εγκαινίασε σήμερα ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας Νίκος Χριστοδουλίδης και περιλαμβάνει νέες λιθοστρώσεις, πεζοδρόμια, φωτισμό, φυτεύσεις και υπογειοποίηση των δικτύων, καθώς και την ανάδειξη του χώρου γύρω από την εκκλησία της Αγίας Ειρήνης. Η παρέμβαση συμπληρώνεται από την αναβάθμιση του παιχνιδότοπου της κοινότητας, με επένδυση €65.000, ενώ στο Γούρρι, στον Άγιο Επιφάνιο Ορεινής και στο Καμπί Φαρμακά υλοποιούνται ή έχουν ολοκληρωθεί έργα συνολικού ύψους περίπου €6,64 εκατομμυρίων. Όπως ανέφερε ο Πρόεδρος της Δημοκρατίας, τα έργα αυτά εντάσσονται στον ευρύτερο κυβερνητικό σχεδιασμό για τη στήριξη της υπαίθρου και την ισόρροπη ανάπτυξη σε ολόκληρη την Κύπρο, μέσα από επενδύσεις σε υποδομές, στέγαση, οικονομική στήριξη και αναπτυξιακές ευκαιρίες, με στόχο οι κοινότητες να παραμείνουν ζωντανές και οι νέοι άνθρωποι να μπορούν να παραμείνουν, να επιστρέψουν και να δημιουργήσουν στον τόπο τους.
— Προεδρία της ΚΔ (@CYpresidency) October 31, 2026
The President noted that support for rural areas, and particularly mountainous regions, is a central priority of the government’s policy for balanced development throughout Cyprus. “It is not enough for development to occur only in urban centers. The importance of development lies in ensuring it also takes place in our mountainous regions. Our goal is to create all the necessary conditions so that people living in our villages can remain in their hometowns, but also so that young families choose the countryside as a place to live and work,” he said.
He added that this is being achieved through a series of actions and policies. “We are actively supporting the residents of mountainous areas,” he said, citing, by way of example, the recent decision by the Council of Ministers to increase, in 2026, the support allowance for residents of mountainous areas by 50 euros per household and 35 euros per eligible resident, and stating that he is prepared to reconsider these amounts if necessary due to inflation.
He also referred to the March 2026 housing plans aimed at settling new families in the communities. “I am particularly pleased with the tremendous response we’ve received. We have also decided at the political level to allocate more funds to our housing plans, because we’re pleased with the response to our programs from young couples who want to settle in mountainous areas,” he said, asking for suggestions on how the programs could be made even more attractive.
He added, moreover, that for young families to be able to live in mountainous areas, there must be schools and healthcare infrastructure, and citizens must have access to the same services wherever they are.
President Christodoulides noted that the budget for the welfare state for the years 2024, 2025, 2026, and 2027 is increasing by more than 6–7% each year, “because we have an obligation to provide the same services wherever residents choose to live.”
He added that “the fiscal responsibility with which we manage the country’s economy creates a budget surplus, and for us, the budget surplus is not for the state—the budget surplus is for the citizens,” noting that the essence of growth is that it should benefit the people.
“We are here to respond; my presence here today is precisely to send this message: we are here to work together, not only to preserve Farmakas and the surrounding communities with their current residents, but the goal is to increase their numbers, and we can achieve this goal,” he concluded.
Source: CNA
