Your Excellency Mr Speaker of the House of Representatives of Ireland,
Honourable Ministers,
Distinguished Members of the Diplomatic Corps,
Dear Guests,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome to Cyprus, to the House of Representatives, the Speaker of the House of Representatives of Ireland, Mr. Seán Ó Fearghaíl and a delegation of Members of the Irish Parliament.
Your presence in our country, Mr. Speaker, at today's plenary session of the House underlines the close bonds of friendship between Cyprus and Ireland and the common will to further strengthen relations and cooperation between the two Parliaments for the benefit of our countries and our peoples. These relations are governed by mutual respect and are based on common principles and values, on the shared characteristics of Cyprus and Ireland as small island Member States of the EU, but also on parallel painful experiences.
The accession of Cyprus to the European family, to which the Irish Presidency welcomed our country in 2004, gave new impetus and impetus to the relations between our countries. The excellent cooperation between Cyprus and Ireland in the European context and the engagement of our countries on key issues of concern to the Union and European citizens extends to the parliamentary context, as the role of national parliaments in European affairs becomes increasingly distinct.
Your Excellency, Mr President,
From my position, I wish to express my sincere thanks for Ireland's principled stand and firm support, particularly in the UN Security Council, of which your country is a non-permanent member for the years 2021-2022, as well as within the EU in our struggle to achieve a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
We also feel deeply grateful for your country's significant contribution to the UN Peacekeeping Force since its first deployment in 1964. I would like to pay tribute from the floor of the Plenary to the Irish cyclists who served from 1964 to 2005, as well as to those who are currently serving in the UNFICYP Police Department. Likewise, I wish to express our country's deep appreciation for Ireland's significant contribution to the work of the Missing Persons' Committee, knowing your particular sensitivity to this issue as a result of your own experience.
Mr. President, we will never tire of fighting for a solution on the basis of international law and UN Resolutions, a solution that safeguards the human rights of all Cypriots and frees our country from occupying troops and anachronistic guarantees. For a solution that will reunite our country in peace and security for the benefit of all the Cypriot people, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latinos and especially our young people, who have the right to look forward to a promising and sustainable future. Unfortunately, the Turkish side seeks to legitimise the flagrant violations of international law committed in Cyprus by Turkey in 1974, the painful consequences of which we have been experiencing for forty-eight years. The Turkish side insists on a 'two-state solution', 'separate sovereignty' and 'equal international status' as preconditions for engaging in dialogue. Such unacceptable claims will never be accepted and have been explicitly rejected by the international community.
At the same time, Turkey is pursuing the creation of new fait accompli by deploying pirate raids in the Exclusive Economic Zone of the Republic of Cyprus; by progressively opening the enclosed area of Famagusta for economic exploitation in violation of Security Council Resolutions 550 and 789, but also by further militarizing the occupied areas with modern military equipment, radars and drones.
Such actions only serve Turkey at the expense of Cyprus and its people, both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, who are feeling the increasing weight of Turkey's long arm in all areas of their lives in the occupied areas.
Your Excellency,
The images of bombings, deaths and refugees in Ukraine are very familiar to us. We fully empathize with the pain, despair and indignation of the Ukrainian people as we too are victims of a brutal attack by a stronger neighbor. We therefore had an additional reason to stand by the side of the Ukrainian people from the very first moment, true to principles and justice. We embraced the Ukrainian refugees who fled to our country, providing them with all possible assistance, despite the disproportionate pressure that the Republic of Cyprus is under, due to Turkey's instrumentalisation of the migration issue through the Green Line.
The Russian invasion of Ukraine has demonstrated the vital importance of unity and solidarity, but also the danger of the two-measure, two-stop logic in the face of similar violations of international law. Revisionism and expansionism are not met sometimes with sanctions and sometimes with tolerance or appeasement for the sake of interests. We ask our European partners and the international community to show the same sensitivity and determination in relation to Cyprus and we are confident that we can count on the support of Ireland as a friendly country equally faithful to its principled positions.
At the same time, I assure you of the full solidarity and support of Cyprus and its Parliament towards Ireland, in times of extreme difficulty for both countries and for Europe as a whole. The challenges we have to face are many and complex. One of them is the impact of Brexit. The issue of Ireland must be resolved through the full implementation of the relevant Protocol in order to preserve peace and stability in the country, as our two peoples know all too well how precious and fragile this asset is.
Mr President,
Although on the map, our countries are very far apart, one at the northern and the other at the southern end of the European Union, the osmosis between them has been enduring and productive. As two island peoples, Cypriot and Irish, separated and united by the sea, we became aware very early in our long history of the great opportunities offered by maritime communications and shipping. It is in this context that you are invited to mark the European Maritime Day event later today.
In the same context, the potential for cooperation between the two countries can be further strengthened at several levels, as we have stressed in our consultations, particularly in the fields of education and tourism.
It is no coincidence that the great Irish writer, James Joyce, was inspired by the character of Odysseus to write his eponymous work, which has become a classic in the world literary scene. The sea, wandering and returning home are important themes in the work of both Irish and Cypriot poets and writers.
Your Excellency, Mr President,
Let me again thank you for your presence here and wish both you and your delegation every success in your work. I hope that you had a pleasant and constructive stay in Cyprus and I am sure that cooperation and exchanges between our parliaments will be further strengthened at all levels, on the basis of the excellent relations that have united our peoples over time. I am sure that your visit is the beginning of a more substantial and constructive cooperation within the framework of parliamentary diplomacy.
In conclusion, with these greetings, I invite you to the podium.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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