The President of the Republic of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades has called on the UK Cypriots, who have the right to vote in the 23rd June EU referendum as Commonwealth citizens, to reject Brexit.
Asked during an interview with the London Greek Radio (LGR) on Thursday, President Anastasiades applauded the National Federation of Cypriots in the UK for urging the members of the populous ethnic community to vote for remaining in the UK.
“An exit (of the UK) from the EU would not only affect Europe in general, but more particularly our home country, Cyprus,” said President Anastasiades.
He elaborated saying that an exit would most probably lead to a devaluation of the sterling. “This would have consequences for us if you take into account that 40% of tourist arrivals in Cyprus come from the British market. There could also be repercussions on trade between the two countries, with Cypriot exports to the UK having reached 8%, the same as the imports from the UK.”
He added that other problems could occur, such as the right of Cypriot students in universities around the UK to secure loans, currently under the same terms as the ones for British students.
“For these reasons I extend a warm call to our Cypriot compatriots and more widely to the Greek origin citizens living in the UK who have a right to vote, to position themselves positively towards Britain remaining in the EU,” said President Anastasiades.
He also said that the Commonwealth, presented by the “Leave” campaign as a block of international cooperation that the UK should explore further following an exit from the EU, “cannot be a substitute for the benefits offered by the European Union.”