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- Ελληνικά
The accession of Cyprus to the EU is the most important achievement of the Republic of Cyprus, President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Christodoulides, who met with the President of the European Parliament, Ms Roberta Metsola, at the Presidential Palace.
After their meeting, the two Presidents made statements to the media and then answered questions from journalists.
Asked whether she can exert her influence to get the Turkish occupation army to give evidence and open its records on the issue of the missing persons, Ms Metsola said that in the European Parliament many discussions and efforts were made on this issue, noting that the tragic aspect of the Cyprus problem also requires political will, noting that unanimously in Europe they are always ready to offer any assistance.
Asked whether the issue of the missing persons could be a confidence-building measure to break the deadlock in the Cyprus problem and resume dialogue, the President of the Republic said: "Of course it is a measure that can help the political process. This is a humanitarian problem and that is why a joint visit was made, on our initiative, to the Anthropological Laboratory with Mr Tatar, precisely because this issue should have been resolved years ago.
We appreciate the work of the European Parliament on the issue of the missing persons. Very recently I met with the European Parliament rapporteur on missing persons issues who came to Cyprus to understand through her contacts the seriousness of the problem. And she knows very well that this is the most tragic dimension of the Cyprus problem.
Soon, the rapporteur will submit a report to the European Parliament and I know that the President is also very sensitive to this issue."
Asked whether with the rise of far-right and anti-European forces in Europe there is a danger that the European edifice could be destroyed, and asked whether the results of the European elections could stop these movements, the President said: "Those who imagine or envision destruction of the European edifice will certainly be disappointed. The EU was the most important development, not only on the European continent, but at the international level since the Second World War.
The most important success of the Republic of Cyprus is its accession to the EU. Since we are speaking on the day of its Independence, it is even more important that we are an EU Member State and that the President of the European Parliament is with us today.
The EU faces challenges, but only through the cooperation of Member States can problems be solved effectively. Imagine if the Republic of Cyprus was not a member state, how could we face these daily challenges that we are facing? We are present in Brussels not as spectators, but as co-shapers of the decisions that are taken.
We are in favour of further integration of the EU, we believe in the possibilities, in the future, in the perspective of the EU. It is for this reason that our fellow citizens and all European citizens should participate in the electoral process. Particular emphasis on the part of the executive will be placed on the participation of our young people. Much of what we enjoy today would not be a given if the Republic of Cyprus were not an EU member state."
For her part, Ms Metsola said, among other things, that without the EU we would not be where we are today. We found unprecedented unity during the pandemic, with the recovery and resilience fund with which economies like Cyprus are recovering, with the digital and green transition, with the energy sector where there is unanimity on finding alternative energy sources and more.
(PM/MB)
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