Ireland supports the UN mandate in Cyprus

Mr. Haydon visits Cyprus as part of the presence of Irish Ministers around the world to celebrate St. Patrick's Day

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The full support of Ireland in the UN mandate in Cyprus was expressed in an interview with KYPE by the Deputy Minister of Research and Development, Farm Farming and New Market Development Martin Haydon, who also referred to the efforts of the .

Mr. Haydon visited Cyprus as part of the presence of Irish Ministers around the world to celebrate St. Patrick's Day. Asked about this, he said, "in the midst of very difficult conditions internationally, we want to send a message of solidarity as a sign of the importance of unity in the European Union, which we and both Cyprus share."

It is, he said, "an opportunity to highlight the role of the Irish around the world and it is a great honor for me to be here representing the Irish Government."

During his stay in Cyprus, the Irish Deputy Foreign Minister had meetings with Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides, Minister of Energy, Trade and Industry Natasa Peleidou and Minister of Defense Charalambos Petridis, who thanked them for their support. in the field of Brexit. "Ireland and Cyprus have very close ties, we share a common legal system, Cyprus understands the close ties with the United Kingdom and how Brexit has increased the difficulties and challenges. "We share the desire for a closer working relationship between the EU and the UK after Brexit, we share these goals and we work together as part of it in the EU."

"I also had the opportunity to meet with members of the Irish police who serve as part of UNPOL. We are very proud of the many years of uninterrupted presence of the Irish police in their role as part of the UN mission. "I reiterated to the representatives of the Cypriot Government the very strong support of Ireland for the UN mandate on the island," he stressed.

Asked about the situation in Ukraine and how it affects the global food supply, Mr Haydon said: attack and invasion ".

He further added that "I had the opportunity to reiterate today, together with the Foreign Secretary, the condemnation of Ireland for its invasion of Ukraine. "There are implications for all countries and I discussed the issue today with the Ministers. I am aware of the implications of the sanctions and other relevant measures in the Cypriot economy, but we all agreed that this is the solidarity we must show to the Ukrainian people."

As he said, "it is a huge opportunity for us, especially the small countries that stand united within the EU, to show our solidarity with Ukraine."

"There are challenges in the international food supply chain, we are hearing around the world about rising cost of living, energy security and rising prices in general, but we will overcome them," Haydon said. We are, he noted, "ready and determined to accept Ukrainian refugees due to the mass movement of people as a result of this conflict."

Regarding bilateral trade relations, Mr. Haydon pointed out that exports from Ireland to Cyprus increased by 4 million euros between 2019 and 2020 and this is largely due to sales of Irish whiskey. "We are very proud of our whiskey, it is a sector and a market with which we would like to further increase our trade, we believe that we have many opportunities to achieve it, the Cypriot people have a good taste in whiskey."

Finally, when asked by KYPE about Ireland's plans for recovery efforts and the impact of the European Green Agreement on the agricultural sector, the Irish Undersecretary stated that "we have a responsibility to achieve the ambitious climate goals we have set for our country. but also as part of the EU, we aspire to produce our food in a more sustainable way in the future and Ireland is a country that exports 90% of the food it produces ".

"This is a big challenge, but farmers and food processors are fully prepared for this challenge, because the high value markets in which we want our producers' products to be available have expectations for an improved emission profile from the food production system. He said.

"I think that if the conflict in Ukraine and the current challenges have taught us anything, it is that if there was any reassurance about the importance of the Common Agricultural Policy and the reasons why it was established, it should not exist anymore," he added.

"Ireland has always supported the CAP, it was set up for a very good reason and we believe it should continue to be supported in the future, as well as all the new aspirations and requirements for European funding of the Member States," Haydon said.

"Obviously Brexit means we have less money overall, so food production and food security should be a key part of the debate. "We produce very good quality food in Ireland and Europe and the CAP continues to support this production."

KYPE source