The Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Mr. Harris Georgiades, met today with the Special Representative for European Affairs of the Government of China, Mr. Wu Hongbo, who is visiting Cyprus as part of his tour of Europe, with the aim of promoting China's relations with European countries. Mr. Wu Hongbo has served as Deputy Prime Minister of the Republic of China. Wu Wu Hongbo was the United Nations Under-Secretary-General for Economic and Social Affairs from 2012 to 2017. Mr. Wu was accompanied by the Ambassador of China to Cyprus Mr. Liu Yantao.
During the meeting, the excellent relations of friendship and cooperation between Cyprus and China were noted and a common will was expressed to further strengthen them at all levels, including the parliamentary level.
Georgiades reaffirmed Cyprus' firm commitment to the principle of "One China". At the same time, he stressed that the Cyprus problem remains an open problem of invasion and continued occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey. Turkey's aggressive policy and provocative actions against Cyprus and other countries in the wider region, Georgiades said, undermine democracy, progress and human rights in general.
Wu reaffirmed his country's principled stance on efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem on the basis of international law and relevant UN resolutions. He also noted that China, as a permanent member of the UN Security Council, maintains unchanged its support for the implementation of the UN resolutions on Famagusta and the renewal of the mandate of the peacekeeping force in Cyprus.
Regarding the Russian invasion of Ukraine, Georgiades stressed the necessity for international politics to be conducted on the basis of principles, especially the peaceful resolution of international disputes and not through the imposition of force. Mr Georgiades said that Cyprus, as a member state of the European Union, is implementing European policies on the issue of Ukraine, which aim to restore the international system to conditions of stability, peace and security.
Finally, there was an exchange of views on the potential for further cooperation between Cyprus and China, particularly in the fields of energy, investment, digital transition and culture.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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