President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said one of the aims of his policy is to establish Cyprus as a regional and international educational, technological and research hub.

At the same time, in statements, he said the education sector makes a significant contribution to Cyprus' GDP.

The President was in Paphos on Thursday to lay the foundation stone of the American University of Beirut - Mediterraneo which opens a campus in the coastal town.

Noting he is in town to “express the government's support for such initiatives and to thank for the vote of confidence," the President emphasised the importance of investments in sectors such as education. He said that this is an indication of the importance of our country investing in certain sectors, such as education, adding that significant work has been done in recent years.

"There is a significant contribution to the country's GDP from the education sector, and I am here to express the government's support for such initiatives”, the President underlined.

"Rest assured that this is a sector where we will soon see further positive developments," he continued.

In his address, President Christodoulides said “today’s event, testifies our commitment to promote academic excellence, as well as our willingness to support regional synergies and cooperation. The opening of the American University of Beirut - Mediterraneo creates new avenues for knowledge, innovation, and research.”

He remarked that the AUB has a rich legacy spanning over 157 years, it has influenced the lives of thousands of students and contributed to the prosperity of Lebanon and the nearby countries, including Cyprus. Through the establishment of the Cyprus campus in Paphos, he added, “it can contribute both to the education sector in Cyprus, while at the same time can serve in further reinforcing the strong bridge between Cyprus and Lebanon, by fostering deeper collaboration and friendship between our academic communities.”

He further said “the establishment of The American University of Beirut – Mediterraneo in Pafos is fully in line with our policy to establish Cyprus as a regional and international educational, technological and research hub. In the context of the implementation of our Governance Programme, we aim to promote Cyprus as an international, high-quality academic destination. At the same time, we are pursuing intergovernmental agreements for the mutual recognition of academic qualifications, with the aim of internationalising our higher education, while we systematically use the scientific potential of Cyprus universities for the formulation of development policies.”

President Christodoulides said he was pleased to see that Higher Education in Cyprus is making tremendous progress over the past few years and acknowledged “the significant work by President Anastasiades.”

The President assured the Chairman of the Board of Trustees of AUB, Dr. Philip Khoury and the President of AUB Dr. Fadlo Khuri that they can “count on the support of the Government”.

In his address, Paphos Mayor Phaedonas Phaedonos said after only 30 months from the first contact he had with AUB, “our effort comes to an amazing summit on September 7th. Both a summit and a beginning, as the first academic year of AUB in Cyprus will be officially launched". "No other University operating on the island has managed to come all this way in just 30 months”, he remarked, adding that the university complex will be completed by next October.

He described today as “an historic day” which will go down as “a landmark in yet another page of this small city’s remarkable survival through time” which is looking brightly at the future.

The Paphos Mayor said he is “confident that in the coming decades Cyprus will become a brilliant hub of university education for the entire region…In the years to come, we must, by building effective cooperation networks, make the most of our geography and turn Cyprus into a hub where knowledge and university education will be disseminated freely and in synergy, for the benefit of all.”

If we manage to raise the percentage of access to universities in our region by at least 15% in the near future and promote excellence through top tier education in the production chain of innovation and entrepreneurship, then we forge conditions of peace and prosperity, said Phaedonos.

Noting that the brain drain, ie the mass outflow of good minds from our countries to Europe and America must be reversed, he said the goal “is to lay the foundation stone of the Medical and Nursing School Facilities in 15 months.” For this he urged President Christodoulides and the state to “speedily activate the procedures on the expansion, renovation and upgrading of the Paphos General Hospital, so it can be turned into a promising high-quality University hospital.”