It is a real pleasure to be with you tonight, at an event that has become much more than an awards ceremony; an event that reflects the confidence of the international investment community in Cyprus and the progress our country has made.

Allow me first to very warmly thank Invest Cyprus, its Chairman, its Board and its entire team for organising this very important evening. I also want to thank them for their consistent work to promote Cyprus as a credible, competitive and outward-looking investment destination. Their contribution is not limited to events such as this. It is reflected every day in their efforts to attract quality investment, support investors on the ground and strengthen the international profile of our country.

Tonight, we recognise people, companies and visionaries who looked at Cyprus not only as a destination, but as a place of possibility. People who had options around the world and chose our country. And that choice really matters. Because investment is never simply a transaction. It is a decision based on trust. Trust in a country, in its institutions, in its people, in its stability and in its future.

This week, we began the rollout of our renewed national branding narrative for Cyprus. A narrative built not on what we wish Cyprus to be, but on what Cyprus is today: a stable European state with a global outlook; a country of reliability, agility and perspective; a European hub with an international footprint. This is not a slogan. It is the direction in which our country is moving. It is the vision that you, the investors in this room, are helping us turn into reality.

Cyprus’ economy has shown remarkable resilience in an unpredictable and very volatile international environment. We have maintained fiscal seriousness, strengthened our credibility and earned the confidence of international markets. We are also modernising our state, improving our services, simplifying procedures, investing in digital transformation and creating the conditions for productive, sustainable investment that creates real added value.

Our confidence in our economy is not theoretical. It is reflected in its successive upgrades and in our return to the “A” category for the first time since 2011. It is reflected in strong growth, sound public finances, declining public debt and conditions of full employment, first time since 2008. And these are not just numbers. They are proof that responsible economic policy, political stability and substantive reforms create the confidence on which investment decisions are built. But my purpose tonight is not to recite numbers. The numbers are public, and they speak for themselves. My purpose is to speak about our direction. About where we are heading in the future.  And our direction is clear: stability, perspective, growth and security.

Only a few days ago, Cyprus concluded its Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) – a national mission that we carried out with seriousness, credibility and tangible results. Our vision was clear from the very beginning: An Autonomous Union. Open to the World. Throughout these 181 days, Cyprus worked as an honest broker, building consensus and advancing decisions that strengthen Europe’s competitiveness, resilience, security and strategic autonomy. And this matters directly to why we are here tonight. Because the same Cyprus that can help shape European decisions, strengthen the Single Market, advance simplification, promote security and connect Europe more effectively with its neighbourhood and the wider world, is the Cyprus that can also offer investors something increasingly valuable: reliability, credibility and perspective. And tonight, I want to assure you that we will continue to pursue a responsible economic policy, because credibility is the foundation on which every investment decision is built.

We will also continue to modernise our state, because a competitive economy needs a state that can move with speed, clarity and always predictability. And we will continue to invest in talent, because human capital is now one of the most decisive factors in national competitiveness.

This is also why the Minds in Cyprus initiative, together with Invest Cyprus, is so important. Because access to the right talent is as decisive a competitive advantage as tax policy, infrastructure or geography.  Through this initiative, we are working to attract and repatriate skilled talent, to reconnect Cyprus with the capabilities of its people abroad and to ensure that companies that choose Cyprus can find the human capital they need to grow, innovate and compete internationally.

Last May, I paid a state visit to India – a country that represents one of the most important new opportunities for Cyprus. Following the historic visit of Prime Minister Modi to Cyprus in June 2025, and through the strengthening of our strategic partnership, we are now translating our excellent political relationship into tangible economic cooperation.

The opportunities are clear: technology, innovation, financial services, shipping, education, energy, tourism, logistics and trade.

Cyprus can serve as a reliable European entry point for Indian companies – a stable, agile and fully EU-compliant base from which they can access not only the EU, but also the wider Eastern Mediterranean, the Gulf and North Africa.

This is not an abstract ambition. It is already being translated into practical cooperation: through business forums, direct engagement between companies, stronger institutional links and growing interest among Indian enterprises in choosing Cyprus as a platform for their European and regional operations.

At the same time, we are expanding our outreach to other important partners, including Kazakhstan, which I visited in the beginning of June and where new opportunities are emerging in areas that directly support the diversification and strengthening of our economy.

And later this year, we intend to return to the United States with a clear objective: to further deepen our economic relationship, attract significant new investment and position Cyprus even more strongly as a trusted European partner for international business.

This is also how we see foreign policy: not as something distant from the economy, but as a direct instrument of growth, security and national confidence.

And in this effort, the private sector has a central role. Government can create the framework. We can keep the country stable, secure and predictable. We can maintain fiscal credibility, strengthen our institutions and make the state faster and more effective. And we can open doors abroad, build bridges with strategic partners and create new opportunities for Cyprus and for those who choose to invest here. But government alone cannot build the economy of the future. It is business, investment and enterprise that give this framework life. It is you who turn confidence into projects. It is you who turn opportunities into jobs. It is you who turn Cyprus’ potential into tangible results. And that is why tonight’s event matters. Because the investors we honour this evening are not simply guests in Cyprus’ story. You are part of the case Cyprus now makes to the world.

For many years, a small country like ours had to ask the world to believe in a promise. Today, we can simply point to results. We can point to the reforms. We can point to the international recognition received. And above all, we can point to the people and companies in this room. You are proof that Cyprus is evolving. Proof that Cyprus is trusted. Proof that Cyprus is earning, with confidence and on merit, the position it deserves in Europe and in the world.

So tonight, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, on behalf of the Government, I want to thank you. Thank you for choosing Cyprus. Thank you for believing in its people. Thank you for being part of a national effort that goes far beyond one investment, one sector or one award. Together, we are building a Cyprus that is more outward-looking, more competitive, more resilient and more confident. A Cyprus that does not simply respond to change, but helps shape it.