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The President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides is in Reykjavik, Iceland, to participate in the 4th Summit of Heads of State and Government of the Council of Europe. The convening of the Summit, which it is worth noting is the first since 2005 and only the 4th in the long history of the Council, which was established after World War II, was deemed necessary due to the international conditions as they are taking shape, especially after Russia's illegal invasion of Ukraine.
Around 40 European heads of state and government are attending the summit, including German Chancellor Olaf Scholz, French President Emmanuel Macron, and Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte, Italian Prime Minister Georgia Meloni, as well as European Commission President Ursula von der Leyen, European Council President Charles Michel, and observers from the UN and the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE).
The President of the Republic participated in the solemn opening of the Summit and then, during the discussion on "Preserving democracy in difficult times - risks, resilience and reengagement", highlighted the dangers of the signs of democratic regression in Europe, expressed, inter alia, through discrimination against minorities and vulnerable groups, the absence of political pluralism, the silencing of the opposition, non-transparent decision-making and the absence of strong anti-corruption mechanisms. He noted at the same time that Russian aggression against Ukraine is another sign of aggression against democratic principles and values. He underlined the historic responsibility of the Council member states to react collectively to reverse such phenomena and to promote and strengthen democracy and good governance throughout Europe.
Afterwards, the President of the Republic attended a working dinner, attended by the Heads of State and Government, on the theme "United for Ukraine". In his intervention, Christodoulides reiterated the commitment of the Republic of Cyprus to support Ukraine, noting that independence, territorial integrity and the preservation of the borders of all states are, especially for Cyprus, non-negotiable principles and values. He underlined the sad similarities of what Ukraine is experiencing today with the tragic consequences of the illegal Turkish invasion and occupation that Cyprus has been experiencing for the last 49 years and stressed that as Cyprus we will continue to support Ukraine for as long as necessary.
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PM/MB/EXP
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