The Vice-President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE CSO), Ms Irini Charalambidou, held meetings in Washington yesterday, participating in a delegation of Members of the OSCE CSO Bureau.
The delegation had separate meetings with the member of the National Security Council, Special Assistant to the US President and Senior Director for Russia and Central Asia, Mr. Eric Green, as well as Deputy Assistant Secretary of State in the Office of Conflict and Stabilization Operations, Mr. Matthew Steinhelfer, and Acting Assistant Secretary of State, Office of European and Eurasian Affairs, Ms. Kami Witmer. However, she expressed concern about the economic impact of sanctions on Europe, stressing that it is more pronounced than for the US, noting the need to find ways to mitigate this impact as it is likely to threaten the unified stance that countries are currently taking. He criticised the Turkish refusal to apply sanctions, noting that it exploits the unity of EU Member States in order to attract Russian business and economic benefits at the expense of the unity shown by other NATO member states. This fact, Ms. Charalambidou said, is an indication of Turkey's general effort to strengthen its strategic ties with Moscow as well.
Ms. Charalambidou also referred to her role as OSCE CSO Special Representative for Combating Corruption, noting the impact of the phenomenon on security, democracy and the economy, noting the need to tighten supervision in the banking sector.
Moreover, in a working breakfast with the French Ambassador in Washington, Mr Philippe Etienne, Ms Charalambidou referred to the strong French-Cypriot ties and noted that France's broader strategic framework of cooperation in the Mediterranean, which Cyprus welcomes, has a stabilising effect in a region where the existence of power rivalries fuels regional instability.
He pointed out the important parallels between the war in Ukraine and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, and expressed hope for the prevention of further escalation of the war. Ms. Charalambidou noted Cyprus' contribution to efforts to mitigate the humanitarian impact of the war and in particular the hosting of refugees, despite the intense migratory pressures the country is facing.
(NΓ)
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