Cyprus House of Representatives President Annita Demetriou and Chargé d’Affaires of the Holy See in Cyprus, Msgr. George Panamthundil had a farewell meeting Monday and expressed their will for a deeper cooperation between the Cyprus Parliament and the Holy See. Panamthundil is departing the island as his tenure came to an end and during the meeting today Demetriou thanked him for his kind cooperation and for his contribution to further strengthening the very good relations between the Holy See and the Republic of Cyprus. She also wished him every success in his new duties. During the meeting, a House of Representatives press release says, they both referred to the historic visit of Pope Francis to Cyprus in 2021. Demetriou said that the Pope had send a very strong message on the need for peace and unity and expressed her sincere appreciation for the stance the Vatican maintains on the Cyprus issue. Referring to the ongoing efforts to resume the talks, the House President underlined the importance of reaching a solution, in accordance with the relevant UN Resolutions, which would reunite Cyprus, in conditions of lasting peace and stability. She said that Cyprus relies on the support of friendly countries to exert pressure on Turkey, so that it abandons its unacceptable claims for a two-state solution and its intensifying provocations as well as the instrumentalization of the migration crisis. Demetriou expressed sincere gratitude for Pope Francis’ symbolic gesture of relocating fifty migrants from Cyprus to the Vatican. The representative of the Holy See expressed his warm thanks for the excellent cooperation with the House of Representatives and the President of the House in particular, during his term in Cyprus. Msgr. Panamthundil expressed the Holy See’s full understanding of the challenge posed to Cyprus by the mass influx of migrants and referred to the contribution of the Holy See and Italy, as well as other countries, to this issue. They both agreed about the importance of dialogue and diplomacy to address common challenges and the common will to further deepen relations between the Republic of Cyprus and the Holy See in areas of mutual interest, with the aim of promoting peace, prosperity and stability in the region. Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
Source: Cyprus News Agency