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- Ελληνικά
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Anita Demetriou met today with the President of the European Parliament (EP) Roberta Metsola, who is visiting Cyprus to attend the celebrations of the 63rd anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. The President of the EP was accompanied by senior officials of the EP and its Office in Cyprus.
Welcoming Mrs Metsola, Mrs Demetriou noted the symbolism of the EP President's visit to Cyprus on the 63rd anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Cyprus. Afterwards, Mrs Demetriou presented Mrs Metsola with an Honorary Medal of the House of Representatives in recognition and appreciation, as she said, for her personal contribution to the efforts to achieve a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation, with political equality, as set out in the relevant UN Resolutions. A solution, the Speaker stressed, which will reunite the country in conditions of lasting peace, stability and prosperity for the benefit of the entire Cypriot people. Demetriou expressed her thanks for the firm principled position and support of the EP, most recently, on the illegal actions of the Turkish occupation forces in the buffer zone near Pyla and, more generally, on the Cyprus problem and its individual aspects. Metsola, leadership like yours to build a more promising future for Cyprus and its people, as well as for the challenges we are facing more broadly, especially the migration crisis, while preserving our common principles and values, democracy, human rights and the rule of law. Regarding the migration issue, the President of the Parliament stressed that Cyprus, which receives the largest number of asylum seekers among the Member States in proportion to its population, needs strong support from the European Union (EU) to manage this disproportionate challenge.
The EP President stressed that as long as Cyprus remains divided, the EU will not be complete. Ms Metsola underlined that the EU will work, supporting UN-led efforts, including the appointment of a UN envoy, with a view to resuming the talks. Metsola, noting the EU's immediate and united response to the successive crises of the pandemic and the ongoing war in Ukraine and their consequences, stressed that the answer to all challenges is more Europe. On migration in particular, the EP President stressed that no country should be left to face this issue alone and that the fight against trafficking in human beings must be fierce. Metsola called for a strong participation of citizens in the upcoming European elections.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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