In comments after the meeting, Demetriades said: “There can certainly be different approaches to and opinions about policies but at the end of the day, we all want what is good for the country, for work places to be created, and to move ahead.”


The minister also assured Kyprianou that he and other officials at the Communications Ministry remained at Akel’s disposal to provide any further information.


In his statements, Kyprianou said he believed various government departments had not handled the Larnaca port issue properly and that the matter should be managed more holistically.


“Studies must be carried out to show how the entire area will be developed taking into account the fact the harbour is situated in the centre of town and so will impact daily life,” he said.


Kyprianou also suggested an independent study on environmental consequences be carried out, examining both the potential dangers to the health of the town’s residents and the environment including water sources, in case of an accident.
Another study could also look at how the work undertaken at the harbour could impact tourism in Larnaca, he added.


Akel, Kyprianou said, was in favour of both commercial and tourism development “as long as it is carried out through a wider plan that will have provisions from the start to the end on what will be done and is based on studies showing there will be no negative impact on either tourism or peoples’ health.”


Larnaca’s municipality and tourism officials are worried that more and more energy-related activity in its port will turn it industrial and that it will lose tourism from cruise ships and yacht owners anchoring at its marina.

A number of protests against the further industrialisation of the harbour have also been staged by local residents.

Source: InCyprus