The Speaker of the House of Representatives, Mrs. Elias Abu Saab, on the occasion of his visit to Cyprus, at the head of a delegation, to participate in the Expanded Meeting of the International Secretariat, Chairmen and Rapporteurs of the Committees of the Inter-Parliamentary Assembly of Orthodoxy (IPA), hosted by the House of Representatives in Limassol. Mr. Abu Saab was accompanied by MP Mr. Assad Dargham and Lebanese Ambassador to Cyprus Mrs. Claude El Hajal.
During the meeting, the traditionally close relations of friendship and cooperation between Cyprus and Lebanon, based on common principles, and the broad prospects for further strengthening them at the bilateral, trilateral and multilateral levels were underlined. Mr. Abou Saab noted the presence of many Lebanese who live, work and study in Cyprus, which, he said, they consider as their second home.
The President of the Parliament expressed her thanks for the Lebanese authorities' positions on the Cyprus problem. Ms Demetriou expressed disappointment at the Turkish side's insistence on the recognition of the pseudo-state as a precondition for the resumption of talks. Such dichotomous claims, she stressed, which would legitimise the Turkish invasion and continued occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus, cannot be accepted under any circumstances and have been repeatedly rejected by the European Union and the entire international community.
Abu Saab reaffirmed Lebanon's principled position in favour of respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and the resolution of the Cyprus problem in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions.
During the meeting, the importance of further strengthening cooperation between the two countries in areas of common interest was stressed, particularly by taking advantage of existing opportunities in the energy sector. Particular reference was made to cooperation and exchanges between the Parliaments of Cyprus and Lebanon, both at the level of their Speakers and between their respective parliamentary committees. Cooperation and solidarity, Ms Demetriou stressed, is the key to addressing the common challenges we have to deal with.
In particular, with regard to migration, the need for a holistic approach to the issue, based on solidarity and equal sharing of responsibilities between the Member States of the European Union was stressed. Views were exchanged on the difficulties faced by the two countries due to the disproportionate refugee flows in relation to their population. Ms Demetriou criticised the instrumentalisation of this issue by Turkey, which, as she pointed out, channels irregular migrants through the occupied territories to the free areas, with the result that the Republic of Cyprus is the EU Member State with the highest number of asylum seekers and irregular migrants per capita.
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
Source[/URL][/P]
