There are many reasons for an interview with the Secretary General of the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCCI). The occasion for this interview was the retirement of Marios Tsiakis in February, after 38 years of work and contribution to the CCCI, and 10 years as Secretary General.
And these 10 years were full of problems: An unprecedented financial crisis – and austerity memorandum – in 2013 and the following years, a pandemic and pan-Cypriot lockdown in 2020-21 and to cap it all, the invasion of Ukraine, inflation, and increased prices.
Mr. Tsiakkis shares with the readers of Phileleftheros his experiences and his assessments of the future.
Regarding the three successive crises, he said:
“There is no doubt that all three crises caused and continue to cause many problems for our country, businesses, and citizens. Each one had its particularities and difficulties.
The most difficult thing, however, was that one succeeded the other in such a short period that many wondered if we would be able to cope. The crisis of 2013 came and before we recovered we were hit by the COVID pandemic, which brought its problems and difficulties, which added to the existing ones and we therefore had to manage a more difficult and complex situation. Before we could stand on our feet again, the war in Ukraine started in 2022, with the rapid increase in inflation, increases in fuel and energy prices, interest rates, and everything else that it brought with it.”
Regarding the main source of income for Cyprus, he said:
“Cyprus has been and will remain a tourist destination. We should not be concerned about this. What we must constantly do is upgrade the quality and enrich our tourism product with new forms of tourism experiences and choices for our visitors.”
Regarding the future of the Cypriot economy over the next five years, he said:
“The global order is moving towards more digitalized, green, climate-neutral, and contactless economies. With the increased use of digital technology, many of our day-to-day activities will now be carried out electronically and we may see a reduction in the degree of direct contact compared to the traditional way of conducting some of our activities.”