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- Ελληνικά
The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mrs.Anita Demetriou had a meeting today with the President of the National Council (Lower House) of Austria Mr.Wolfgang Sobotka, in the framework of his official visit to Cyprus, following an invitation by the Speaker of the House. Mr Sobotka was accompanied by the Austrian Ambassador to Cyprus, Ms Susanne Bachfischer, and high-ranking officials.
Welcoming Mr Sobotka, the Speaker of the Parliament stressed the importance of this visit, which, it was stressed, gives new impetus to cooperation and exchanges between the Parliaments of the two countries. She expressed sincere thanks for Austria's firm principled stance and support regarding the Cyprus problem and for its significant contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus. Ms Demetriou reaffirmed the commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the goal of achieving a just and viable solution on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation, in accordance with international law and relevant UN resolutions. It is important, he added, that the international community shows the same determination in all cases of violation of international law and that the logic of two measures and two stations is eliminated.
The importance of further strengthening bilateral parliamentary relations and parliamentary diplomacy to address the complex challenges facing Europe was jointly stressed. The ongoing war in Ukraine, the flare-up in the Middle East, the European perspective of the Western Balkans, Ms Demetriou stressed, are all crucial issues for the future of Europe, which require enhanced cooperation and a collective approach in order to establish conditions of lasting peace and security in Europe. She also informed her Austrian counterpart about the "Amalthea" initiative of the Republic of Cyprus to provide humanitarian aid to Gaza.
On the issue of migration, the need to protect the Union's external borders and better manage migratory flows in order to preserve social cohesion in the host countries and restore the confidence of European citizens in the institutions and their sense of security was stressed. Ms Demetriou noted the increasing pressures on Cyprus and the instrumentalization of the migration issue by Turkey.
They also exchanged views on the need to combat at European level the growing anti-Semitism, as well as on the need to protect the European way of life, as the only way to contain and combat those extreme ideologies that damage democracy and the achievements of the common European construction. Finally, issues of common interest were discussed, such as the need to protect against fake news and hate speech on social media, and it was stressed that this burning issue should be addressed at EU level.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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