Dear colleagues,
8 May has been established as World Thalassaemia Day by the World Health Organization and the International Thalassaemia Federation. Raising awareness and the contribution of civil society, particularly through voluntary blood donation, seamless communication between members of the global thalassaemia community and promoting reforms to improve the quality of life of patients are some of the objectives of the global campaign on this day.
As the most common single-gene disease, thalassaemia has more than 300 million carriers worldwide. Cyprus has the highest number, relative to the general population, of multi-transfused thalassaemia patients, whose daily routine consists of strict and highly multidimensional treatment and management, frequent blood transfusion and concomitant desensitisation therapy, as well as continuous monitoring if the effect of the disease is degenerative.
At the same time, the state, in the context of the treatment of sufferers, is also working towards their integration into social life and work, with the aim of providing them with psychological support and training medical and nursing staff.
As the House of Representatives, we welcome and promote every effort to inform and raise awareness of issues related to thalassaemia and we welcome the excellent work carried out by the Thalassaemia Clinic, the Thalassaemia Population Control Laboratory of the Archbishop Makarios III Hospital and the Department of Molecular Genetics of Thalassaemia of the Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics, which joined together as a full member of the European Reference Network "EuroBloodNet" in 2017. We also welcome the ongoing actions and initiatives of the Pancyprian Anti-Anemia Association, which focuses its attention on every aspect of thalassaemia treatment.
The International Thalassaemia Federation, as the leader of the thalassaemia awareness initiative and efforts worldwide, continues for the second consecutive year the successful "Educate. Share. Care.", with the theme "Strengthening education to bridge the gap in thalassaemia care". To express our support, we will illuminate the Parliament building on Monday, 8 May 2023, in red, which symbolizes the blood donation.
Ladies and gentlemen,
9 May has been established as the Peoples' Anti-Fascist Victory Day, but also as Europe Day. Despite the tragic and devastating consequences of the Second World War for humanity, which remain indelible over the years, 9 May, as the day that sealed the end of the bloodiest and most horrific war known to mankind, is a day of remembrance and honour for the peoples who fought and crushed the monster of Nazism and fascism that had emerged in Europe.
We remember and honour the fighters who fought and sacrificed their lives in order to free humanity from the dark forces of the past. We take this opportunity to stress that the struggle to defend democracy and combat racism and intolerance must be constant, in order to prevent the forces that seek to revive the policies of totalitarianism and hatred.
In commemorating Europe Day, memory goes back to the historic Schuman Declaration of 9 May 1950, in which the French politician Robert Schuman proposed a new form of political and economic cooperation in Europe through the creation of a European Coal and Steel Community (ECSC) capable of preventing any potential war between European states. The ECSC was the beginning of the creation of today's European Union, which, over time, has further consolidated the principles and values of peace, unity, solidarity, democracy, equality and social justice.
As the House of Representatives, we reaffirm our will to continue, as a member of the European family, to fight for our rights, always guided by European principles and values. At the same time, we condemn all fascist and terrorist acts that undermine security and peace in Europe and internationally. Above all, we condemn Turkey's provocative and illegal actions against Cyprus and its people for almost half a century, with the violation of every concept of law and the violation of basic human rights and freedoms.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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