The President of the Republic Demetris Christofias leads efforts in order for the Cypriot economy, which is heavily exposed to the Greek debt, to recover, government spokesman Stephanos Stephanou said on Sunday.

 “The President leads and coordinates efforts in order for Cyprus to overcome the difficult situation due to the ‘imprudent and criminal decisions’ taken by the banks which had as a result their exposure to the Greek economy”, that caused recession of Cyprus` economy, he told reporters.

 He also stressed that the government is holding hard negotiations with the Troika in order for specific measures to be taken for the recovery of the economy.

 A Troika delegation (EC, ECB, IMF) has visited the country twice in July for negotiations, following Cyprus’ request for an EU bailout in June. The delegation is set to return to the island in September. Consultations between the government and the troika continue with a view to conclude to a memorandum the soonest possible.

 Replying to a question, Stephanou said that the government will not try to throw the responsibility for the economic situation on somebody else, calling on everyone to join the government’s efforts.

 “The government has positions and proposals through which Cyprus can exit this difficult situation and we will put these proposals forward during the consultations with the Troika and the EU”, he added.