Referring to the teleconference, Demetriou said she had conveyed all the efforts "that the Republic of Cyprus and the House of Representatives in particular are making so that we can strengthen this effort in terms of the principled position that the Republic of Cyprus and the House of Representatives hold."[/QUOTE]
Referring to the teleconference, Demetriou said she had conveyed all the efforts "that the Republic of Cyprus and the House of Representatives in particular are making so that we can strengthen this effort in terms of the principled position that the Republic of Cyprus and the House of Representatives hold.
Asked about the message sent by her Ukrainian counterpart, Demetriou said he was "visibly depressed" because of what is happening and informed his interlocutors about additional bombings taking place on the territory of Ukraine. "He asked us to send whatever significant assistance we can," she noted, adding that "we will help as much as we can."
In addition, Demetriou said she exchanged suggestions with her Ukrainian counterpart and said there would be a follow-up with another response, perhaps with a physical presence of the European Union to discuss policy measures for assistance. "We will always be there to strengthen in any way we can. I conveyed this to him personally as did the other Presidents of parliaments across Europe," Demetriou said.
Speaking about the collection of humanitarian aid to be sent to Ukraine, the President of the Parliament described as "touching" the response of the people and thanked the Commissioner for Citizens, Panagiotis Sentonas, as well as the Strovolos City Hall for their contribution.
"It is a matter of principle and concerns us all. The Republic of Cyprus will stand as it should on this great issue. We hope that the war will stop as soon as possible and that diplomacy and a peaceful settlement will prevail."
In turn, Mr. Demetriou, the parliamentary parties, the Minister of Defence and the Chief of the National Guard for their support to the humanitarian material collection effort, which is being carried out in coordination with the European Civil Protection Mechanism.
The aid package sent "includes food donated by the people of Cyprus, medical and pharmaceutical material sent by the Ministry of Health and civil protection material through the Ministry of Interior and Civil Defence", he noted. "This material will follow a route indicated by the European Mechanism, which has created special hubs in the countries around Ukraine for the management of humanitarian aid," he said, adding that the aid will go through Greece to reach the hub indicated by the European Mechanism.
Strovolos Mayor Andreas Papacharalambous thanked the President of the Parliament and the Commissioner for Citizens' Affairs. "The response of the people is touching, it is something we honestly did not expect," he said. "We as Cypriot people have also gone through similar situations. We see every day what is happening, so we stand in solidarity with the Ukrainian people." Papacharalambous said that the cooperation with the Commissioner for Citizens will continue in the coming days and efforts will be intensified in order to send as much help as possible.
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