EXCELSIOR at the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Chinese Group “Tatwah” and the Malaysian Group “ASN“ in Malaysia
23-25 February 2018 in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia
The Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works, as the representative of the Government of the Republic of Cyprus, attended the signing ceremony of the agreement between the Chinese Group “Tatwah” and the Malaysian Group “ASN” on 22-26 January 2018 for the use of Chinese satellites (Tatwah Group) using geostationary satellite positions belonging to Cyprus for provision of satellite services in Malaysia and the region through Malaysian Provider (ASN Group). The ceremony took place in Kuala Lumpur in the presence of representatives of the signatory countries, Malaysia, China and Cyprus. With this Agreement, Cyprus emerges as a significant actor in space technologies, on the one hand, and, on the other hand, it substantially benefits financially.
In the context of this ceremony, Mr. George Komodromos, Director of the Electronic Communications Department, on behalf of the Republic of Cyprus, analyzed the island’s strategic position and the major importance for the creation of ground stations (node) on the island, in relation to satellite communications and Earth Observation.
The Department of Electronic Communications of the Ministry of Transport, Communications and Works is a partner in the EXCELSIOR program (ERATOSTHENES: Excellence Research Centre for Earth SurveiLlance and Space-Based MonItoring Of the EnviRonment) and the above-mentioned contacts of Mr. Komodromos, as well as this strategic agreement, contribute to the creation of mutually beneficial synergies for the program. EXCELSIOR project, which is coordinated by the Cyprus University of Technology, envisions the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for conducting basic and applied research and innovation in the areas of the integrated use of remote sensing and space-based techniques for monitoring the environment, through the TEAMING Horizon 2020 programme of the EU.
