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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Republic, Mr.Nikos Christodoulides, attending the European Council Summit in Brussels today, made the following statement:
"I hope to have a substantive discussion on developments in the Middle East. I hope to reach conclusions on this very important issue. As I said, any other outcome would be a failure for the European Union. We cannot have a war in our neighbourhood, a humanitarian crisis, and as the European Union we cannot come to a common approach, a common position, on the need to help in the humanitarian aspect in particular. Beyond that, I want to welcome yesterday's decision to open negotiations with some countries. At the same time, however, I would like to express my concern about the way in which this decision was taken. You understand, you all know what has happened. I believe that a negative precedent is being set. The success of the European Union over the years has been to take decisions through a process, through a dialogue in which all 27 Member States, all the Member States, came to a common approach at the end. I believe, I repeat, that a negative precedent is being set, which we will find before us in subsequent debates. You have also seen the results in relation to the revision of the multiannual financial framework. The dialogue will continue in January to see if the 27 of us can come up with a common approach. But I repeat, decisions that are taken without all 27 Member States being there, being involved, adopting the decision, I think it sets a very wrong precedent, which affects, if you like, one of the strongest features of the European Union. In any case, let us see today how the debate on developments in the Middle East will develop. I hope that we will not see phenomena that we saw yesterday and, I repeat, that we will come to common conclusions."
Responding to a reporter's question, President Christodoulides said: "There clearly needs to be more preparation before the Councils. Certainly, issues should not be left to the brink of decisions and such facts should not be created. But I repeat, what was the strongest, what is the strongest characteristic of the European Union? This synthesis of views of all Member States. By taking decisions in such a way - and I fully agree with the decision, the Republic of Cyprus was one of the Member States that agrees without any footnote, without any asterisk with the decision that was taken - it creates a negative precedent. And I want to see today how the debate on the Middle East will develop. I hope that we will not be led to such approaches again, because the one who is most injured by such procedures is the European Union itself."
In response to another question, the President of the Republic noted that: "If we as the European Union do not have a common approach, if we as the European Union do not take the necessary steps to deal with the terrible humanitarian crisis in the Middle East, I am afraid to say that we will fail. So, as someone who comes from the region - Cyprus is the closest European Union Member State to the region, we have excellent relations with all the neighbouring countries - I will insist on the need to come to conclusions. Otherwise, as the European Union, we are sending out a very wrong message, not only to the region but also to the geopolitical role we aspire to play as the European Union."
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