The parliaments of the two countries look forward to further consolidating and strengthening relations between Cyprus and Ireland, which have committed, through their Presidents, to work in this direction.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Anita Demetriou, in her remarks early this afternoon in the House of Representatives, welcoming the Speaker of the Irish House of Representatives Seán Ó Fearghaíl, who is on an official visit to Cyprus at the head of a delegation, expressed confidence that through enhanced cooperation we will be able to do much more and highlight the role and importance of parliamentary diplomacy. She also hoped that this visit would be the beginning of a deeper and substantial cooperation between the parliaments of the two countries.
The Speaker of the House of Representatives noted that although it is a very difficult day for us due to the tragic loss of our beloved Minister Zeta Emilianidou, we are pleased to welcome to the House of Representatives the Speaker of the Irish Parliament and his entourage.
This visit is very important as it underlines the strong ties between Cyprus and Ireland on the basis of principles and values[/B], he stressed.
He pointed out that both countries are members of the EU and share the same will to further strengthen dialogue and cooperation between them, particularly in the context of parliamentary diplomacy.
We agreed with the President on increasing inter-parliamentary exchanges at bilateral and multilateral level. We have expressed our intention to undertake joint initiatives and actions within the framework of our competences, recognizing that only through collective action can we address any challenges, large and small, he said.
He added that he briefed the President of the Irish Parliament and his entourage on the worrying developments regarding the Cyprus problem, especially after the new threats and actions, illegal provocations by Turkey in the enclosed area of Famagusta and in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus.
She also thanked the Speaker of the Irish Parliament and Ireland itself for the firm principled stand on the Cyprus issue and our continued efforts to resolve it.
We are particularly grateful to Ireland for its valuable support over the years, especially in the UN Security Council, of which it is a non-permanent member for 2021-2022, but of course also within the EU, she said. She added that she has reaffirmed our unwavering commitment and focus on the resumption of talks on the agreed framework for a just and viable solution, always in line with UN resolutions. We also exchanged views on issues of common interest, ranging from the ongoing war in Ukraine and the consequent economic consequences for all Member States and for the whole world, as well as broader challenges on education, the climate crisis, migration and so on, She said that it is all these issues on which we believe that joint initiatives and actions should be taken, especially at bilateral and multilateral level, in order to address all these challenges.
For his part, Mr Ó Fearghaíl, expressed the pleasure of the members of the Irish delegation for their visit to Cyprus, noting that this was an educational mission, which also consolidates the long-standing good relations between the two island states.
He expressed regret that their arrival on the island coincided with the death of Cyprus' Minister of Labour, who, he noted, "made a huge contribution to the development of the country" and was highly regarded by her MPs and colleagues in Government, and was much loved by the people of Cyprus.
He said that during their visit to Cyprus they had high-level discussions at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Home Affairs, met with the UN and met Irish police officers serving with the UN in Cyprus.
We will return to Dublin with a much more accurate and adequate understanding of the issues we face and the practical areas on which we can start working together immediately, he said, naming as such educational exchanges, the use of the Erasmus programme so that more students from Ireland come to Ireland and more Cypriot students go to Ireland, the food and beverage sector, aviation, airport management, etc.Mr Ó Fearghaíl also said that he had invited the Speaker to visit Ireland with a delegation because we are determined that this will not be an isolated event.
This is about consolidating and building and promoting a very special relationship between Ireland and Cyprus.
This is about consolidating and building and promoting a very special relationship between Ireland and Cyprus. And we hope that we will have results to show you when you come to Ireland next year and we will go one step further after that visit, he concluded.
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