The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs Anita Demetriou, received today the new Ambassador of Sweden to Cyprus, Mr Martin Hagström. The President of the House of Representatives wished Mr Hagström every success in his new duties, expressing her confidence in the continued close cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Embassy of Sweden in Cyprus to further strengthen relations and cooperation, especially between the parliaments of the two countries, in areas of common interest and at various levels.
The President of the Parliament expressed sincere thanks for Sweden's principled position on the Cyprus problem and its long-standing contribution to the United Nations Peacekeeping Force. The Swedish Ambassador reaffirmed his country's principled position and support for efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem, noting in particular the Swedish Embassy's contribution to the promotion of inter-religious dialogue.
The Speaker noted that the multiple challenges facing Europe and the world at large require a collective response in a spirit of solidarity and unity. Demetriou deplored Turkey's increasing provocations and illegal actions against Cyprus, particularly in the enclave of Famagusta, the further militarization of the occupied territories and the instrumentalization of illegal immigrants by Turkey. The President of the Parliament underlined the firm commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the resumption of negotiations to find a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, aiming at the reunification of Cyprus in conditions of peace and security.
Referring to Sweden's assumption of the Presidency of the Council of the European Union (EU) in the first half of 2023, Mr. Hagström noted as the main priorities of the Swedish Presidency the protection of the environment, the promotion of gender equality, addressing the energy and climate crisis in light of the Russian invasion of Ukraine and strengthening the EU's role in the world and the EU's competitiveness.
Finally, the President informed Mr Hagström about the initiatives and actions of the House of Representatives and herself to strengthen the existing legislative framework for the promotion of gender equality and the empowerment of women. Demetriou noted that Cyprus is the first country in the world to enact the specific offence of femicide and to criminalise sexism and online sexism and stressed the importance of not reversing progress on gender equality issues and not downgrading human rights issues more broadly, in light of the war in Ukraine and other serious security challenges.
After the meeting, the Speaker of the Parliament and the Chairman of the Parliamentary Committee on the Environment, Mr. Charalambos Theopeptou, visited with Mr. Hagström the Swedish Embassy's exhibition on sustainable waste management, hosted in the Parliament building.
(The text as sent by the House of Representatives)
(IK)
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