The President of the House of Representatives and the German Ambassador in Nicosia expressed their common will to further deepen the relations between the two countries during a meeting they held on Thursday.
According to a press release by the Parliament, President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou received on Thursday the Ambassador of Germany to Cyprus Anke Schlimm. During the meeting, they underlined the common will for further deepening of relations between Cyprus and Germany, especially at the parliamentary level.
In addition, they exchanged views on the increasing migration flows and underlined the importance of a holistic management of the refugee/immigration issue in the context of European solidarity, especially towards the front-line member states, and noted the practical support of Germany to Cyprus in this matter.
Demetriou referred to the substantive discussions she held in Germany with her counterpart Bärbel Bas and the Presidents and members of the Committees on Defence, Foreign and European Affairs on key issues of mutual European interest and the very positive results of her recent visit in Germany. She recalled the joint decision made with her German counterpart to undertake an initiative, in collaboration with the President of the European Parliament, with the aim of promoting issues related to human rights, gender equality and greater representation of women in decision making centers.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, Demetriou condemned the increased Turkish provocations in the Exclusive Economic Zone of Cyprus and at land, including the fenced off area of Varosha in Turkish occupied Famagusta.
She also spoke about the important role that Cyprus can play, as a bridge of dialogue and cooperation between the European Union and the countries of the region, and achieve the EU goal for energy security.
Finally, she underlined that Cyprus’ cooperation with friendly neighboring countries aims to promote peace and stability in the wider region and does not exclude any country, provided that it respects international law and refrains from aggressive actions that dangerously increase tension.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. Turkey does not recognize the Republic of Cyprus, an EU member since 2004, and considers a portion of the island’s exclusive economic zone (EEZ), as its own or belonging to the illegal regime, set up in the northern Turkish-occupied part of Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency