|
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
U.S. Embassy
February 15, 2005
CyPEG: Opportunities for a Brighter Tomorrow
Ambassador Klosson Hosts
Sustainable Development Discussion
With Turkish Cypriot Experts
 |
Turkish Cypriots at National Geographic
Headquarters in Washington, DC |
As part of the United States effort to ease the isolation of the Turkish Cypriot community and support growth in the Turkish Cypriot economy, the U.S. Embassy plans a series of roundtable discussions on various economic issues. Ms. Susan Snelson, former President and CEO of Travel Agency Inc., conducted the first roundtable in the series with ten Turkish Cypriot sustainable development experts and U.S. Ambassador Michael Klosson on February 15. As a concrete example of the American commitment to help Cypriots create opportunities for a brighter tomorrow, the experts recently attended a U.S. study tour focused on trends and best practices in sustainable tourism with an emphasis on environmentally sound and culturally aware development. They will continue to work with Ms. Snelson over the coming weeks to develop strategies for the sector. Ms. Snelson will also work with local enterprises to build capacity in areas such as image enhancement and marketing.
 |
Ambassador Klosson and Sustainable Development Expert
Susan Snelson with the participants
in the roundtable discussion |
Ms. Snelson, an executive with more than twenty years of marketing and advertising experience all over the world, is in Cyprus for the next month with the Volunteers for Economic Growth Alliance (VEGA), a consortium of 17 US volunteer economic development organizations. VEGA is contracted by the U.S. Agency for International Development (USAID) through the Cyprus Partnership for Economic Growth (CyPEG).
CyPEG will continue to augment existing bicommunal programs and facilitate reunification of the island by supporting economic growth in the Turkish Cypriot community in ways that will (1) enable the Turkish Cypriot economy to shoulder its share of the economic costs of a settlement; (2) contribute to Turkish Cypriot-Greek Cypriot economic interaction; and (3) advance the adoption and implementation of European Union and international standards and practices across the island. It is also meant to address Greek Cypriot concerns that a settlement will be disproportionately and prohibitively expensive for the Greek Cypriot side—concerns that the U.S. government takes very seriously.
The program’s aim is to work with Cypriots to make opportunities for a brighter tomorrow.
The U.S. Government will continue to program its foreign assistance in a transparent manner and will remain sensitive to the complex issues involved. This initiative reflects no change in our recognition policy.
|
