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Filoxenia Conference Centre
Your Excellency Mr Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom,
Honourable Ladies and Gentlemen Ministers,
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Distinguished Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Cyprus and to the House of Representatives the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Sir Lindsay Hoyle and his entourage.
Your present visit, Mr Speaker, which is both your first official visit abroad and the first official visit by a Speaker of the House of Commons to Cyprus on a bilateral level, is a testament to the long history of relations and cooperation between the Parliaments of the United Kingdom and the Republic of Cyprus. It also marks the beginning of a new era in relations between the two Parliaments, laying the foundations for enhanced dialogue and for taking joint initiatives and actions where necessary to address the multiple challenges we face.
The added value of interparliamentary dialogue and parliamentary diplomacy more broadly lies precisely in its flexibility and the opportunity it provides for freer debate on most of the issues that concern and worry us, including very sensitive issues.
Your Excellency,
Cyprus and Britain are linked by strong ties forged through time, through contacts between the two peoples, through historical events and circumstances and, above all, through the role of Great Britain as one of the guarantor powers under the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus and as a permanent member of the United Nations Security Council.
Building on the foundations of these strong ties, exchanges and cooperation between our two countries continue to develop even after the United Kingdom's exit from the European Union, in a wide range of areas, from trade, tourism, justice, education, culture, to security issues and many others. As the UK's diversified relationship with the European Union evolves, our cooperation will continue to develop, both at the bilateral level and within the Commonwealth, where Cyprus is an active participant.
The role of the significant number of Cypriot expatriates and students in the UK, as well as the British community living in Cyprus, in maintaining and further strengthening relations between the two countries is of course crucial.
Mr President,
I take this opportunity of your presence here to reaffirm the sincere will of the Greek Cypriot side for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, in accordance with international and European law and the United Nations Security Council resolutions on Cyprus. A solution on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, which will reunite Cyprus and its people in conditions of security and stability, freeing it from occupying troops and anachronistic guarantees.
Mr President,
Forty-seven (47) years is too long and this land deserves to hope for a solution that will ensure a peaceful, promising and promising future. A solution that will allow our young people to build a common future of hope. I assure you that we will not stop fighting for peace, against the cacophonous sirens of partition, the blatant threats and the flagrant violations by Turkey of the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus on its territory, including the enclave of Famagusta and the Cyprus Exclusive Economic Zone.
Mr. President,
Supportive declarations alone are not enough. After forty-seven (47) years, a European country is still divided and experiencing the painful consequences of the ongoing military occupation of part of its territory and the new defaults that the occupying power constantly seeks to create. Practical support is needed for the restoration of legitimacy and the establishment of conditions of peace and security for all the legitimate inhabitants of this country.
In this context, I would like to express our deepest appreciation for the longstanding contribution of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus and the United Kingdom's contribution to it.
Mr Speaker,
The Parliaments of the United Kingdom and Cyprus have developed close cooperation, notably within the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, but also in other international parliamentary organisations, to promote common goals such as peace, security, stability, progress and prosperity for our peoples.
The House of Representatives attaches particular importance to further strengthening its relations with Westminster, both in the international parliamentary context for the adoption of policies and practices in specific areas, and in the bilateral context, through increased exchanges at all levels, making particular use of the respective Friendship Groups in the two Parliaments.
Your present visit underlines our common will to work together to achieve these objectives for the benefit of our countries and our peoples.
Your Excellency Mr President,
The truth is that many years have passed since Lady Betty Boothroyd's visit to Cyprus in the context of the 1996 Commonwealth Conference of Speakers of Parliaments. It is with equal pleasure that I welcome you to Cyprus, as my then predecessor welcomed your mentor, confident that you too will embrace our country and visit often, as she did.
Parliaments, ourselves, have a responsibility and a role to play and I truly believe that we can make a difference by further strengthening the cooperation between us. We believe in the universal values of democracy and the rule of law and we must now, more than ever, work together to preserve and strengthen them.
I wish you and your entourage a pleasant stay and hope that this is the beginning of a more meaningful cooperation at all levels.
IK
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