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- Ελληνικά
Speaker of the House of Representatives Anita Demetriou received this afternoon the Heads of Diplomatic Missions of the Republic of Cyprus, who are in Cyprus, in the framework of the two-day Conference of Heads of Diplomatic Missions 2023, organized by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The meeting was attended by the Directors General of the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ms Tasoula Ieronymidou and Mr Kyriakos Kouros.
During the meeting, Ms Demetriou noted the close cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, respecting the principle of separation of powers, stressing the importance of mutual feedback and coordination for the benefit and interest of Cyprus. The Speaker of the Parliament underlined the very important role of diplomacy for the protection of the Republic of Cyprus. In this context, she referred extensively to the multifaceted action of the House, at bilateral, regional, European and international level, underlining the added value of parliamentary diplomacy in promoting the objectives and interests of the Republic, with the primary objective of defending and promoting the rights of Cyprus in the international arena. He made particular reference to the obvious similarities between the Russian invasion of Ukraine and the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, as two cases of flagrant violation of international law and human rights, stressing the need for the international community to abandon the logic of two measures and two stations and to show similar determination in the case of Cyprus.
At the same time, Demetriou noted that the activity of the House of Representatives is not monolithic, but extends to a wide range of issues, aiming to build alliances and cooperation on issues of broader and more specific interest, in order to address common challenges. He cited as an example the pioneering legislation adopted by the Parliament on gender equality issues, in particular the criminalisation of femicide as a specific offence, which has been of great interest to his counterparts from various countries.
On behalf of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Director General Kyriakos Kouros thanked the Speaker of the Parliament for the meeting and the opportunity to exchange views on the priorities and strategy of the Republic of Cyprus in the field of foreign policy and diplomacy.
During the ensuing discussion, the specific characteristics and important potential of parliamentary diplomacy were highlighted, particularly where and where there are constraints at government level, and specific priorities and objectives were discussed in this context.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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