Gold Magazine September - October 2013, Issue 30 | Page 12

EDITORIAL

Time to Say ‘Thank You’

T

he ceremony for the 2nd CIPA International Investment Awards, which took place
on Tuesday 10 September in the gardens of the Presidential Palace, was not only an
enjoyable evening for the 450 invited guests but an impressive gathering of company
executives and senior officials, politicians and professionals involved in the services sector. The venue of the event and the presence of President Anastasiades underlined not only its status
and prestige but also the importance that the new government places on the contribution of foreign
investment to the economy. And while intense efforts are being made to attract new investors, funds
and firms to the island, the CIPA International Investment Awards are one way in which the country can say ‘thank you’ to those companies that have already shown and maintained their trust in
Cyprus.
The keynote speaker of the evening, easyJet founder Sir Stelios Haji-Ioannou, urged the Government to pay particular attention to start-ups, a theme that was echoed by former President George
Vassiliou. But the most impressive words of the evening turned out to be the unscripted comments
by the representatives of the award-winning firms. Without exception, their message (enthusiastically applauded by the President) was “We are here and we are staying here”. Reference was, of course,
made to the new circumstances in which we have all been living since March and to the decisions of
the Eurogroup which have impacted the economy, the banking sector and our daily lives. But the
overwhelming implication was that, despite the drawbacks, the negative publicity and, in particular,
the inconvenience of banking restrictions, the foreign companies that have chosen Cyprus as their
base of operations are not about to desert the island for another jurisdiction. Viktor Kislyi, President
& CEO of Wargaming Public Company Ltd., made the point in a more personal manner, telling
the audience that he had just enrolled his son at school in Nicosia, while Dieter Rohdenburg, CEO
of Intership Navigation Co. Ltd, noted that the company had recently completed work on its brand
new offices in Limassol.
The aim of the CIPA International Investment Awards, which Gold inaugurated in 2012, is to
express gratitude and to honour foreign investors – companies and in ]