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- Ελληνικά
The President of the Hellenic Republic, Mr Nicos Christodoulides, participated yesterday in the working dinner convened by the President of the European Council, Mr Charles Michel, and hosted by the Chancellor of Germany, Mr Olaf Scholz, in Berlin, with the participation of leaders of EU Member States.
This is one of the four working dinners convened by President Michel to discuss the EU's Strategic Agenda 2024-2029, which concerns the political priorities that the EU should pursue.
During the working dinner, President Christodoulides in his intervention stressed, among other things, that the EU needs to remain united in the light of the challenges it faces in various areas.
Referring to the two crises plaguing the international community and the EU, the war in Ukraine following the illegal Russian invasion and the war in Gaza, the President of the Republic pointed out that the EU must show that it can manage the situation without losing its focus on the needs of European citizens.
He added that the joint efforts of the EU Member States have brought results and significant progress in the areas of health, security, energy, as well as the green and digital transition, noting that the Union has proven in the past that in critical moments it is united and strong. However, there are areas such as dealing with migration, where the management of the issue at European level, especially for frontline countries, does not meet the expectations of citizens.
Referring to issues related to the objectives of the new Strategic Agenda, the President of the Republic, after stressing the need to define and agree on what the European interest is, noted that for Cyprus, the priority of the agenda under discussion is the strategic autonomy of the EU. A strategic autonomy characterised by two objectives.
Referring to the situation in the Middle East, the President of the Republic said, inter alia, that it is necessary to create conditions for the resumption of the peace process for a two-state solution.
He also informed about the latest developments regarding the initiative of the Republic of Cyprus for the creation of a maritime humanitarian corridor to Gaza, in particular the latest consultations with Israel.
Referring to the issues of EU enlargement, President Christodoulides noted that the Union's commitment to the enlargement methodology, where each partner is assessed on its own merits, is essential.
Finally, President Christodoulides referred extensively to the issue of decision-making within the European Union, reiterating the need to clearly define the European interest and how the interests of the Member States of the Union are protected before any decision is taken.
(PM/NG/ASP)
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