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The work of the session of the International Secretariat of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IPA) took place in Thessaloniki. The House of Representatives was represented by the members of the Cypriot delegation to the IOA, MPs Panicos Leonidou (leader), Efthimios Diplaros, Elias Mirianthous and Marinos Moussioutta.
In the framework of the session, a discussion was held on the draft text of amendments to the IOA statutes, which will be submitted for adoption at the next General Assembly, next June.
In his intervention during the proceedings, Mr Leonidou referred, among other things, to the work and results of the meeting of the IOA Constitutive Act Amendment Committee, which was held in Limassol last March. He highlighted in this regard the main points of the proposed amendments, which aim to maximize the effective operation of the Organization, through the clarification of legal, institutional and operational aspects of the issue. He pointed out that the updating of the Convention's name marks the transition from the European to the global scope of the Organisation's activities.
During the debate on the review of the activities and the planning of the Convention's next actions, Mr Leonidou noted that the interparliamentary dialogue between its members has been upgraded with the production of fruitful work and a wide range of activities. He also reiterated the will of the Cypriot delegation to the IGC to assist in every possible way in the implementation of the Assembly's actions and initiatives. Myrianthous, in his intervention, highlighted, among other things, the support of all members of the Cypriot delegation to the IOA in the actions for the modernization of the statutory function and the strengthening of the Convention's structures, in the context of promoting the objectives of the Organization, especially the efforts for the protection of the world cultural and religious heritage. Referring to the deterioration of Christian monuments in various areas of conflict and war, he deplored the destruction of the Orthodox heritage that has taken place over the last 50 years in the Turkish-occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus.
The opening ceremony of the International Political Conference on "Politics as a space for the expression of Christian values in everyday life", co-organised by, between 15 and 17 May, the IOA, the Conference of European Churches (CEC), the Committee of Catholic Bishops' Conferences of the European Union (COMECE), the Holy Metropolis of Thessaloniki and the Faculty of Theology of the Aristotle University of Thessaloniki. The opening ceremony was concluded with the signing by the heads of the IOA, the CEC, COMECE and the organization ''Together for Europe'' of a text of appeal to the European Institutions, the Political Parties and the candidates for the European Parliament for the recognition of Christian values as the main foundation of European integration and their inclusion in their political programmes in view of the forthcoming European elections.
During the conference programme, Mr Leonidou moderated a round table discussion entitled "Christian Values and Church Expression".
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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