"The government dared to bring before Parliament a reform that should have been implemented long ago," said President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides today, referring to the bill on the reform of the Legal Service.
When asked whether it is possible to find a middle ground on the issue of reforming the Legal Service, given the disagreement between the government and the Legal Service, the President of the Republic said, “There is no disagreement. The Attorney General—whose opinion is fully respected—expressed his own personal view. Beyond that, the executive branch has submitted a very specific proposal to the House of Representatives, and I hope it will be voted on as soon as possible. This is something our society is calling for, and it is something included in the reports on the rule of law in our country by European and international institutions.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
It is a reform that should have been implemented long ago; our government had the courage to bring it before the House of Representatives, and I hope that a positive outcome will be reached as soon as possible.”
In remarks to reporters as he arrived at the Opening Ceremony of the New Judicial Year of the Supreme Constitutional Court, and when asked to comment on reports regarding a new UN Secretary-General candidate from Turkey, the President of the Republic said, “I have already answered that question. Turkey is doing its job; we are doing ours. There are many scenarios and many names on the list currently being discussed by the United Nations Security Council. We are in contact with both our European partners and other countries, and we are monitoring developments. There is nothing more I can say at this time.
“What matters right now is the work being done behind the scenes, rather than public statements.”
When asked whether a date had been set for the visit of the UN Secretary-General’s Personal Envoy on the Cyprus Issue, Ms. María Ángela Olguín, the President of the Republic said that “I am in contact with Ms. Olguín; I do not have a date to announce—she will announce the date herself. And today I will ask the Turkish Cypriot leader to arrange a meeting for next week, and I hope there will be a positive response, so that we can continue a discussion that began even before we went to New York, but also based on the facts and the discussions we had with the UN Secretary-General. We are here, quite specifically—I repeat—to make progress. There is political will; there are ideas concerning all three issues raised by the Secretary-General—ideas that the Secretary-General has received positively—and we are here to continue. For this reason, I have already asked the Negotiator to contact the Turkish Cypriot side and propose a meeting next week.”
