The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mrs Anita Demetriou received today a delegation of the European Affairs Committee of the House of Representatives of the Czech Republic, which is on a three-day visit to Cyprus, following an invitation of the House of Representatives. The delegation was led by the President of the Committee, Mr Ondřej Benešík, and included Members Ms Marie Pošarová and Mr Martin Exner. The Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Cyprus, Mr Vladimir Němec, was also present at the meeting.
In welcoming the delegation, the President of the Parliament referred to Cyprus' unwavering commitment to the principles and values espoused by the European Union (EU), which take on added importance as Europe faces unprecedented challenges, such as the war in Ukraine, migration and the climate crisis.
The President of the Parliament made special reference to what she described as her shocking recent visit to the Polish-Ukrainian border in the framework of the Meeting of Women Speakers of the Parliaments of the EU Member States. Cyprus, Ms Demetriou stressed, understands better than anyone else what invasion and continued occupation means as it has been experiencing them for 48 years. What is happening in Ukraine, Ms Demetriou stressed, concerns us all as we must protect European principles and values and vigorously defend international law and international legitimacy, facing in a coordinated manner at a collective level any attempt to violate them wherever it comes from.
Referring to the issue of migration, Ms Demetriou noted that Cyprus is the first country in terms of population in the EU to receive migrants and asylum seekers, as it is a victim of the instrumentalization of this humanitarian issue by Turkey, which systematically channels people through the occupied territories to the areas under the control of the Cypriot government. This issue, the President of the Parliament stressed, must be effectively addressed through collective decisions and joint action at the European institutional level.
The head of the Czech delegation, Mr Benešík, reaffirmed his country's principled stance on the Cyprus problem and expressed the Czech Republic's support for Cyprus' efforts to exploit the natural resources within its Exclusive Economic Zone. Referring to the upcoming Czech EU Presidency in the second half of 2022 and the issues it will have to deal with, Mr Benešík noted the humanitarian crisis in Ukraine and the increased refugee flows his country is receiving, stressing that the Czech Republic needs financial and technical support from the EU in order to be able to cope.
Ms Demetriou and Mr Benešík expressed their joint will to strengthen cooperation between Cyprus and the Czech Republic both at the parliamentary level and more broadly. In this context, Mr Benešík noted that he would work vigorously to re-establish the Czech-Cyprus Friendship Group in the Czech Parliament as soon as possible. Finally, Mrs. Dimitrios and Mr. Benešík referred to the need to take collective action to effectively combat the phenomena of fake news, in order to protect the institutions and the people who serve them from the phenomena of impunity and cannibalism and to shield democracy.
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