As Cyprus prepares to host the EBRD's annual meeting, its finance minister, Harris Georgiades, tells Michael Imeson how the country has progressed from its EU/IMF bailout in 2013 to record a budget surplus and GDP growth higher than the eurozone average.
Cyprus's banks all passed the European Central Bank's stress tests, a result that is indicative of the recovery that is under way in the country's financial sector. However, for these institutions to return to full health they must tackle their non-performing loans, a feat that is as much in the hands of the country's politicians as its bankers.
The problems that have beset Cyprus this year have an all too familiar ring to them, but the post-crisis reaction to its economic problems by Iceland show how a full investigation into the causes of a financial crisis are essential to enable a new system that is fit for purpose to be established.