In a meeting in Nicosia with Maltese Green Party member of Italian parliament Arnold Cassola, Cypriot President Tassos Papdopoulos shared his concern over the possibility of a new nuclear reactor being installed in the Mediterranean region.

The reactor in question is that being proposed for Libya, ostensibly for desalination activities, only a few hundred kilometres from Malta and the Italian islands of Lampedusa and Sicily.

Sharing Prof. Cassola’s concern, President Papadopoulos commented, "I fully share the concern of the Greens for security in the Mediterranean as regards nuclear plants, since we Cypriots have been battling for years to stop the construction of a nuclear power station in Turkey, in Akuyyu, less than one hundred kilometres away from Cyprus.

“Another nuclear reactor on the other side of the Mediterranean would certainly not contribute to the safety of one and all.”

Arnold Cassola, who was accompanied by Cypriot Green MP George Perdikis

and Mediterranean Greens coordinator Evi Theopemptou, recalled how the European Greens have always stood against the proliferation of nuclear technology on principle and indeed on the forefront opposing the construction of the Akuyyu power station which, to date, has not been built.

Cypriot Foreign Minister Erato Markoulli Kozakou ensured Prof Cassola that, after gathering the necessary information on the planned desalination plant in Libya, she would consult with MP Perdikis and the Cyprus Greens to decide on the procedure that could be taken up in the EU fora.

Prof. Cassola also discussed the Cyprus-Turkey issue and euro adoption during talks with the Cypriot authorities.