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- Русский
The 16th Conference of Presidents of the Parliaments of the Small States of Europe, which was attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. The Conference, which was hosted by the Luxembourg Parliament between 18 and 20 June 2023, was attended by the Parliaments of San Marino, Andorra, Iceland, Cyprus, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Malta, Montenegro and Monaco.
The third session of the Conference discussed the role of parliaments in addressing new challenges that threaten democratic institutions, in the presence of the First Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, Mr. Oleksandr Korniyenko. The Speaker reiterated the House of Representatives' full sympathy and support to the people of Ukraine, who are experiencing what the Cypriot people experienced as a result of the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus. Ms Demetriou stressed that condemning any violation of international law is everyone's responsibility, noting that the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens European principles and values and democracy in general.
Furthermore, Ms Demetriou referred to the need for parliaments to regain the trust of citizens and young people in particular, by implementing actions oriented towards communication and information. She also pointed out the need to interact with the academic and scientific community, which will give new dynamics to parliamentary work.
The Conference concluded with the unanimous adoption of a Joint Declaration, which included recommendations submitted by the President of the Parliament, including the need to condemn without exception any violation of international law and the importance of demonstrating continued solidarity with the Ukrainian people, with an emphasis on women and children, as well as a recommendation for the development by parliaments of actions and programmes through which young people will have the opportunity to become more actively involved in political life and become familiar with the functioning of institutions, with the aim of reducing democratic deficits. Finally, the Joint Declaration accepted and included a proposal by the President of the Parliament on the need to take initiatives for unified action to protect women, young people, but also the persons involved in politics themselves, from the unconscionable attacks they receive from social media. Important proposals by the President of the Parliament for joint initiatives between the Small States of Europe in the field of tourism were also adopted, as well as for the establishment of an informal network of cooperation at administrative level between the Parliaments of the Small States of Europe on cybersecurity issues, an issue which is of particular concern to all States at the present time.
The text as sent by the House of Representatives
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