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- Ελληνικά
The work of the 75th anniversary of the Commonwealth, which is being attended by the Speaker of the House of Representatives at the invitation of the Speaker of the House of Commons of the United Kingdom, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, continues today in London.
At today's proceedings, which coincide with the annual commemoration of Commonwealth Day, the Speaker of the House of Commons joined her counterparts in a debate on the role and importance of the Commonwealth in modern times. During her intervention, Ms Demetriou referred to the multiple challenges facing humanity today, including conflict, migration, the climate crisis and multidimensional threats to human rights, stressing that the only way out is to strengthen dialogue, cooperation and collective action. In this context, the basic democratic values and principles, as represented in the Charter of the Commonwealth, and which have governed its functioning since its establishment until today, combined with its multicultural character, give it a unique dynamic, Ms Demetriou noted.
She pointed out that it is the duty of parliaments, as the bodies that primarily express the will of citizens, to work in a climate of unity and cooperation to safeguard universal human principles and values, democracy itself, peace, security and progress.
At the end of the consultations, a Joint Communiqué was adopted in which, among other things, the participants expressed their common will and solidarity to work for a world without conflict, war and inequality, "in the pursuit of peace, freedom and progress", just as was made clear in the founding Declaration of the Commonwealth in London in April 1949, which remains as relevant today as it was 75 years ago.
The Speaker also attended the annual Commonwealth Day ceremony at Westminster Abbey and laid a wreath at the Commonwealth Memorial Gates, and later in the afternoon will attend a reception to mark Commonwealth Day at the organisation's headquarters at Marlborough House.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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