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The Speaker of the House of Representatives Mrs.Anita Demetriou received today the Ambassador of Finland to Cyprus Mr.Harri Mäki-Reinikka, on the occasion of the completion of his mandate in Cyprus.
Mrs. Demetriou thanked the Ambassador for the excellent cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Embassy of Finland during his term of office and for his substantial contribution to the further strengthening of relations and cooperation between the two countries also at the parliamentary level. In this context, the importance of the recent re-establishment of respective Friendship Groups in the Parliaments of Cyprus and Finland to further promote inter-parliamentary dialogue and exchanges was underlined.
The President of the Parliament referred to the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and continued occupation of part of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and expressed her appreciation for the long-standing attitude of Finnish authorities in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem in accordance with international law and the UN Resolutions on Cyprus.
Mr Mäki-Reinikka noted Finland's long-standing participation in UNFICYP and his country's special interest in mediation and peace processes. He also praised the important role played by Cyprus as a pillar of security and stability in the wider region, referring to the Republic of Cyprus' initiative to transport humanitarian aid to Gaza and the evacuation of foreign nationals from the Middle East.
It was also common ground that, despite their geographical distance, Finland and Cyprus have similar positions on many issues and face common challenges as frontline countries in receiving migrants, most notably the instrumentalisation of migration. In this regard, the need for a comprehensive and effective management of this issue at the level of the European Union and the implementation of the new Pact on Immigration and Asylum on the basis of solidarity and fair sharing of responsibilities between Member States was underlined.
Finally, views were exchanged on issues of wider interest, with particular reference to the ongoing war in Ukraine and the flare-up in the Middle East, as well as issues relating to democracy, human rights and the rule of law, with emphasis on the need for multi-level cooperation to collectively address all challenges.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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