It is with great pleasure that I welcome you to Cyprus and greet you today, at the Presidential Palace, on the occasion of the Expanded Meeting of the International Secretariat of the Chairpersons and Rapporteurs of the Committees of your Assembly in our country. Your presence here is very important, both symbolically and substantively. Cyprus is a country with a deep spiritual legacy, while the religious imprint is pervasive in the whole spectrum of the cultural and social life of our country.
At the same time, I would like to warmly congratulate you for the great work you are doing. I know it first-hand. A few years ago, in my capacity as Foreign Minister, I had the opportunity to meet several of you. Moreover, the participation of Members from more than 25 countries alone demonstrates the breadth of your action and the importance of the influence your Organization can have around the world.
Your contribution is extremely important in terms of the effort being made through the contemporary global dialogue on human rights, the peaceful coexistence of peoples and the collective response to other regional and international problems that transcend the narrow borders of our States.
In today's globalized society, where various challenges such as the humanitarian crisis, terrorism, hunger and misery, the effects of climate change, armed conflicts, fundamentalist, religious and other conflicts in the world and the increasing flows of refugees and migrants, cross borders and know no nationalities or races, and to be able to talk about successful responses to these collective challenges, common responses are needed today as never before.
Parliamentary diplomacy - and as Foreign Minister I have had the opportunity to see the importance and significance of parliamentary diplomacy, has over time, among many other things, provided such an arena for dialogue to find synergies on the basis of common understandings. In particular, when this effort is based on common values, such as those espoused by the Orthodox faith, namely Humanism, Peace, Democracy and Justice, then a promising and optimistic coupling is created.
The Orthodox as well as the Christian heritage more broadly have imbued with their values and traditions both the societies of the countries you represent and the societies of Europe and the world at large. One of these values, particularly important, is that of mutual respect and acceptance of each other, regardless of ethnic origins or religious beliefs. After all, faith must always be conjunctive and not directed against anyone.
As stated in the objectives of your Organisation, as set out in Article 3 of the Founding Act, Orthodox culture can be a unifying force on the one hand, but also a bridging element with other cultures on the other. And this is achieved through your own actions and through the promotion of inter-religious dialogue.
In Cyprus, we know this very well. Situated in the heart of the Eastern Mediterranean, a truly fascinating, but also sometimes volatile and volatile region, our country has always been a rich mixture and at the same time a combination of different people, cultures, ideas and religions. Along the way, the Orthodox faith of the majority of Cypriots has remained unchanged, but has never turned against people who had or have a different faith. Never, in the modern history of the island, has this diversity, and particularly the religious aspect, been a source of tension and division among the inhabitants of Cyprus. On the contrary, it can often act as a refuge of peaceful coexistence, in a spirit of mutual respect for all fundamental human rights and freedoms, including, of course, religious rights.
And it is precisely through the resolution of the Cyprus problem, which is the top priority of our government, that Cyprus can emerge as a model of reconciliation and peaceful coexistence of people of different religions and cultures. A vision that we hope, even now, will be embraced by Turkey and the leadership of the Turkish Cypriot community.
What I can assure you of is my absolute commitment to the effort to end the occupation, liberate and reunite our homeland through the achievement of a peaceful solution to the Cyprus problem. A solution, of course, which should be based on the relevant United Nations Resolutions and Security Council Resolutions and be in line with the principles and values of the European Union, of which Cyprus is a member state and will continue to be a member state after a possible solution to the Cyprus problem.
Our main concern is to achieve a solution which will create an independent and truly sovereign state, free from any anachronistic guarantees, the presence of occupying troops and the military presence of any third country. A solution that will safeguard and guarantee human rights, allowing all the Cypriot people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians, Latins, in general all those legally residing in Cyprus, to co-exist peacefully, to co-create through a workable and viable solution. And a workable and viable solution cannot be heterogeneous. It cannot give such privileges or powers to one of the two communities in a way that violates the law, violates basic principles and values that in no other country are valid or applicable.
I take this opportunity to thank you for the firm principled support of the Interparliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy to the Republic of Cyprus - we deeply appreciate it - through the repeated adoption of resolutions and other texts, in which it expresses in various ways its support for the just cause of Cyprus in general, but also in particular for specific aspects of the Cyprus problem, such as the destruction of our religious and cultural heritage in the occupied territories. An open wound, a consequence of the invasion and the ongoing occupation since 1974.
The support of the Cypriot State, of the Cypriot House of Representatives, for your efforts and actions remains constant, of course. A support which starts from the founding participation of the then President of the Republic of Cyprus, the late Glafkos Clerides, and continues uninterruptedly until today, where it is expressed in practice, mainly through the active and substantial participation of the honourable Cypriot MPs in the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy. We are particularly proud of their participation and of your collective action.
As a minimum sign of the respect and appreciation of Cyprus and its people towards you, let me assure you that the Republic of Cyprus always remains at your side.
(PM/EP/SX)
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