Plans for a call for bids in 2027 for both phases of the Paphos – Polis Chrysochous, as well as developments regarding the Paphos Marina were presented by government spokesman Konstantinos Letymbiotis on Tuesday.

Addressing the general assembly of the Paphos chamber of commerce and industry, Letymbiotis said that the implementation of the Paphos – Polis Chrysochous road will demand difficult decision, and that clinging to a problematic contract did not amount to progress.

“Announcing a project takes just a few minutes. Its implementation requires a solid foundation, responsible decisions, and constant oversight,” Letymbiotis said.

Letymbiotis recalled that the design work of the highway began in 1990, with studies carried out in 2007 predicting its completion by 2013. Meanwhile, the contract signed in 2021, valued at €73 million, called for the project to be delivered in 2024.

He said that by January 2023, around 48 per cent of the contractual time had passed, yet only €2.6 million of work, under 4 per cent of the contract value, had been completed.

By October 2024, progress stood at just 21 per cent, while the contractor was seeking an additional €36.2 million in compensation and a 59-month extension.

Letymbiotis said that the new design provides for a modern four-lane highway. In the first phase, from Ayia Marinouda to Stroumbi, expropriations and the environmental assessment have been completed.

Meanwhile the second phase will run from Stroumbi to Polis Chrysochous, with the government aiming to launch tenders for both phases within 2027.

On the Paphos Marina, Letymbiotis said that the project has been in planning since 1994, with the first tender held in 2006.

Letymbiotis spoke of of a high priority project for the city and said that the government was determined to finally see it implemented.

He said that the decision of the marina management committee regarding the evaluation of the call of interest is expected in early November, while concession agreement to be signed with the successful bidder in 2027.

Letymbiotis also referred to the expansion of Paphos airport and the new desalination plant in Kissonerga, which is expected to have a capacity of 12,000 cubic metres per day.

The Holy Synod on Tuesday confirmed the previously reported existence of a letter circulated to priests urging them to abandon the Church of Cyprus and found a new church.

Archimandrite Georgios Christodoulou, the Holy Synod’s chief secretary, told media that though the matter of the letter was not on the agenda during Tuesday’s special session of the Synod, it would be addressed at a later stage, “before it gets out of hand”.

According to Phileleftheros, the letter – which effectively advocates for a mutiny – is signed by five individuals. The missive has been circulated to all Paphos-based clerics, as well as to a number of priests in other districts.

The letter’s authors are thought to be proponents of what is known as ‘apoteichisis’ – from the Greek word literally meaning “walling off”. It is a practice in Eastern Orthodox Christian theology where a member or cleric of the Church ceases ecclesiastical communion and liturgical commemoration of their ruling bishop or patriarch.

The action is taken when church leaders are deemed by the adherents to be preaching heresy or straying from Orthodox dogma.

Proponents view it not as leaving the Church or forming a new schism, but as erecting a “protective wall” between themselves and a compromised clergyman to preserve the true faith.

Behind the move are thought to be supporters of former Paphos bishop Tychikos, deposed from his role in May 2025 after he was charged with various breaches of church protocol, including showcasing an icon of a saint not canonised by the church.

Tychikos subsequently appealed against his dismissal at the Ecumenical Patriarchate of Constantinople, but was unsuccessful in his appeal.

Then in January this year, the Holy Synod voted to suspend him indefinitely from priestly duties following his decision to pursue legal action through the civil courts.

Tychikos had been summoned to Tuesday’s session of the Holy Synod, but did not show up. Instead, he sent a letter requesting a face-to-face meeting with the archbishop.

The archbishop accepted.

Previously, the Holy Synod had asked the rebel priest to sign a declaration of loyalty to the decisions of the Ecumenical Synod, to declare obedience to the decisions of the Holy Synod, and to renounce ‘apoteichisis’ and its adherents.

He complied with none of those requests.

In other business on Tuesday, the Holy Synod condemned the recent deadly attack at a Greek Orthodox church in Jordan, where gunmen fired on the crowd, killing nine people and injuring dozens more.

The cross-examination of the complainant in the trial of suspended Paphos mayor Phedonas Phedonos concluded on Tuesday after three days before the Paphos criminal court.

The cross-examination followed the complainant’s earlier testimony, with proceedings held behind closed doors.

Judges and lawyers were present in the courtroom, while Phedonos remained in an adjacent room as the complainant gave evidence.

The trial is scheduled to resume on November 2 at 9am, when the prosecution’s final two witnesses are expected to testify.

One of the witnesses is a businessman whose testimony has been delayed because he was hospitalised at a private hospital in Nicosia.

It remains unclear whether he will be able to appear in person before the court.

Phedonos faces five charges: rape, indecent assault of a woman, indecent assault of a woman by another act, assault causing actual bodily harm, and administering a drug or other substance capable of intoxicating a person or overcoming their resistance.

He denies all charges.