The position that, for Cyprus – an island EU member state with no rail network and no land connections to neighbouring countries – “connectivity is not a policy slogan; it is our lifeline,” was underlined by Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, Marina Ioannou Hasapi, representing the country at the 88th Annual Session of the UNECE Inland Transport Committee, held in Geneva on 17-20 February.
Ioannou Hasapi participated in the Governments-only Restricted Session for UNECE member states, as well as in the High-Level Segment of the session, hosted at the Palais des Nations, a Ministry press release says.
In her intervention at Ministerial Panel III on Connectivity, Mobility and Trade, the Permanent Secretary said that "connectivity is not a policy slogan; it is our lifeline.”
Cyprus’ Presidency of the Council of the EU is “firmly” advancing a strategic agenda focused on resilient and multimodal connectivity, regulatory coherence, and strengthening the geopolitical dimension of transport policy, she noted.
It added that the High-Level Segment concluded with closing remarks by European Commissioner for Sustainable Transport and Tourism, Apostolos Tzitzikostas.
On the sidelines of the session, Ioannou Hasapi and the Permanent Representative of the Republic of Cyprus to the United Nations Office at Geneva, Ambassador Olympia Neocleous, met with UNECE Executive Secretary Tatiana Molcean.
During the meeting, it was underlined, as reported, that strong Cyprus–UNECE cooperation is important, as well as the prospects for further collaboration on transport policy, international regulatory frameworks and sustainable connectivity.
(Source: CNA)
