Wednesday 29 March 2023
The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Anita Demetriou, received today the new Ambassador of Spain to Cyprus, Mr Gabriel Ferrán Carrión, on the occasion of his assumption of office.
During the meeting, the very good relations between the two countries were reaffirmed and the common will to further strengthen them, especially at the inter-parliamentary level, through upgrading parliamentary diplomacy and increasing exchanges between the Parliaments of Spain and Cyprus was stressed.
The President of the Parliament expressed her appreciation for Spain's principled position on the Cyprus problem and stressed the need for the Cyprus problem, which is a European issue, to return to the priorities of the European Union (EU) during the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU in the second half of 2023. Demetriou pointed out that Cyprus has been subjected for forty-nine years to the same violations of international law and human rights by Turkey as those committed by Russia in Ukraine, without the international community showing the same sensitivity towards Cyprus. Cyprus, with a sense of increased responsibility, Mrs Demetriou stressed, stood from the very first moment on the side of Ukraine, defending international legitimacy and the House of Representatives, from the first day of the Russian invasion, unanimously adopted a condemnatory resolution and, subsequently, took initiatives and actions in support of the people of Ukraine.
Mr Ferrán Carrión reaffirmed his country's principled stance on the Cyprus problem, assuring the President of the House that this issue would be on the EU's political agenda during the six months of the Spanish Presidency. The Spanish Ambassador stressed that the war in Ukraine has brought back to the international political scene issues such as illegal occupation and secession, which are violations of principles that cannot be accepted.
Moreover, during the meeting, both sides expressed their willingness to undertake joint actions and initiatives in Cyprus within the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the EU.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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