The work of the 20th Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) continued yesterday afternoon. The House of Representatives is represented by Mrs Irini Charalambidou (Chairperson) and Mr Kyriakos Hatzigiannis and Mr Christos Seneces.
In a session on the economic and environmental consequences of the war in Ukraine, MP Mr. Christos Senekis, said in his intervention that the preliminary assessment of the environmental impact of the war in Ukraine, carried out by the UN, indicates serious pollution of air, water and soil, with long-term effects.
Mr. Senekis noted that any leakage of radioactivity in Ukraine would have catastrophic effects throughout Europe, and said that the latest explosions near the Zaporizhzhya power plant are a constant reminder of the possibility of a nuclear disaster. He stressed that the establishment of a nuclear safety and security zone around nuclear facilities as soon as possible remains urgent. Senekis argued that the energy bills of citizens and businesses must be kept at reasonable prices, while efforts to increase the share of clean sources in the energy mix must continue.
Cyprus' position, Senekis said, is that energy security can be enhanced by diversifying both sources and routes of energy supply. To this end, he said, Cyprus is committed to promoting cooperation and synergies with countries in the region, which can contribute substantially to achieving diversification and security of energy supply. In addition, Senekis noted that the EuroAsia Interconnector project, whose construction work has started, can also contribute significantly to achieving this objective.
Regarding the broader economic impact of the war in Ukraine, the Cypriot MEP underlined that while Europe and the US are suffering significant economic losses as a result of the sanctions imposed on Russia aimed at ending violations of international law, other countries are enjoying economic benefits by limiting the scope and impact of the sanctions and completely disregarding the significant costs borne by the citizens of the countries that aligned themselves with the sanctions. Referring to Turkey in particular, Seneca said that it is reaping significant benefits in the tourism, banking and energy sectors as a result of its neutral stance and its role as a mediator between Russia and Ukraine. He stressed that such a role stands in stark contrast to that country's history of violations of international law and human rights resulting from the invasion and continued occupation of Cyprus, as well as its ongoing provocations in the Aegean Sea. Such practices must not be selectively overlooked or tolerated if we truly wish peace, stability and a rules-based international order to prevail, Mr.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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