Α "digital citizen" app, that was developed jointly with Greece, will be available οn December 5 ,for issuing and storing ID cards, driving licences and vehicle roadworthiness certificates President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides announced on Wednesday, speaking during the “2nd Greece – Cyprus Summit | Advancing Together” that was organized in Nicosia, by Boussias Cyprus in cooperation with Invest Cyprus, under the auspices of the Republic of Cyprus and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Greece.

On his part, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, said in his address that "we seek to deepen the footprint of our two countries in the international environment, with the aim of creating a strong, national business hub in the Eastern Europe", and added that in this context there are obvious synergies between the two economies, based on their geostrategic position.

In his address, the President of the Republic referred to the synergies between Cyprus and Greece, in the context of the second Intergovernmental Summit of the two countries, which is being held also on Wednesday in Cyprus, noting that within the framework of the Summit, cooperation between the two countries will be expanded on labour issues, environmental issues, research and innovation.

He recalled that as a result of the 1st Intergovernmental Conference 10 Memoranda of Cooperation have been signed in various sectors, which are currently being implemented. "For our governments, the will to strengthen the framework of cooperation is clear, making full use of our potential as two EU member states and the excellent relations we have with neighbouring states", he underlined.

He added that entrepreneurship, trade and investment are key ingredients for the growth, innovation, prosperity and competitiveness of the two countries, noting the need for concrete actions, following the discussion of the Draghi report.

"Cyprus and Greece are two healthy and stable economies and pillars of stability in the wider Middle East", the President added, noting that the two countries have a unique combination of advantages to attract investments and quality jobs. Reiterating the intention to make Cyprus one of the best places to live, work and do business, he noted the two directions in which the government is moving: to create a stable and sound fiscal framework, and to give the business community the necessary tools to compete in the international market.

In this context, he said, the three pillars on which the government is operating are fiscal responsibility, a stable and strong financial environment and continuous and bold reforms.

He noted that Cyprus is projected to have the 3rd highest growth rate in the eurozone in 2024, at around 3.8%. The unemployment rate in the first half of the year is close to full employment at 5.2% for the first time since 2009, while for 2025 it is expected to fall below 5%, he added.

Furthermore, he referred to the deceleration of inflation expected for 2024 to 2%, compared to 3.5% in 2023, and also to the significant primary fiscal surplus of 3.9% for 2024 and the remarkable reduction of public debt, which at the end of the second quarter of 2024 recorded the largest decline in the EU compared to the first quarter, and is at 69% of the GDP, with a target by 2026 to be below 60% of GDP.

He added that the positive course of the economy is reflected in the successive upgrades of the rating agencies, with the most recent being the double upgrade by Moody's, which upgraded Cyprus to A3 after 13 years.

"The upgrades constitute a vote of confidence in the Cypriot economy and the policies we are pursuing," he said, noting that we are proud to have one of the highest growth rates in the EU.

President Christodoulides pointed out that the upgrade paves the way for important prospects and for the implementation of targeted social policy in health, education and social welfare. As he noted, the benefits of the upgrade translate into attracting quality investment, quality jobs, lower interest rates, increased economic stability, job security, better wages and new trade agreements.

More specifically, he referred to technological and digital upgrading as a key factor for the competitiveness of the economy. He said that there was a 16.3% improvement in digitisation of services, above the EU average (3.1%) and thanked the Prime Minister Mitsotakis for Greece's assistance in this area.

He noted that the "Digital Citizen" application was developed jointly with Greece, following the signing of an agreement and announced that the application in will be available in Cyprus as of December 5 for issuing and storing identity cards, driving licences and vehicle roadworthiness certificates, while additional documents and certificates will be available thereafter. He said that the second Intergovernmental Meeting will promote the interconnection of the respective applications in Cyprus and Greece, which he described as a "tangible result of cooperation with a positive impact on the daily life of citizens".

In his address, the Prime Minister of Greece, Kyriakos Mitsotakis, referred to the second Intergovernmental Conference between Greece and Cyprus, saying that it allows the development of a framework of cooperation on a regular basis, which within a year has led to significant measurable results to the benefit of both Cyprus and Greece.

He noted that in the past the interest in the relations between the two states was dominated by national issues and the geopolitical challenges of the two countries. "Now we have developed a framework of cooperation worthy of the brotherly relations between the two states," he said, also giving the digital cooperation between the two states as an example.

Prime Minister Mitsotakis expressed his admiration for the performance of the Cypriot economy, saying that it is "enviable". He noted that Cyprus faced the great economic crisis of the last decade with greater responsibility and a sense of self-consciousness than Greece. "We unfortunately experimented with populism, we lost at least five years, we paid for an unnecessary 3rd memorandum and only after 2019 did we start implementing a policy that is finally showing measurable results," he said.

The Greek Prime Minister said that in recent years bilateral trade and direct investment have been steadily increasing, while the potential is even greater and more promising. "At the same time, we seek to deepen the footprint of our two states in the international environment, with the aim of establishing a strong, national business hub in Eastern Europe," he said, adding that in this context there are obvious synergies between the two economies, using their geostrategic position.

He noted that Cyprus' position on the world map has changed, as its economy is among the fastest growing in the EU. "Everything points to the assessment that entrepreneurship in Cyprus will be many times its size," he underlined.

In a parallel path, he said that Greece is rebuilding its own economic architecture. "We have regained the investment tier, and we are leading the European growth rates, we have managed to reduce unemployment to single digits, we are recording the largest reduction in public debt in the OECD over time, we are gaining the confidence of the international markets," he said.

"We want Cypriot businesses, we want Cypriot capital to participate in this great effort to revive the Greek economy. There are all the conditions for Greek dynamism and Cypriot creativity to come together in partnerships that will address major regional and global challenges," he added, referring to possible synergies in the energy, shipping and tourism sectors, the manufacturing trade, and the technology, where artificial intelligence offers huge opportunities and challenges, as he said.

In conclusion, he said that Greece and Cyprus can play a leading role in EU developments "and not only discuss national priorities. This is something great that we have achieved and strengthens the overall prestige of Hellenism," he stressed.