The President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, participated on Monday in the proceedings of the Conference of Presidents of Parliaments of EU member countries, with the main topic of discussion being “Strategic autonomy of the EU against the new challenges for liberal democracies in the era of social media and artificial intelligence, in relation to foreign and defence policy: Russia’s illegal invasion of Ukraine and the conflict in the Middle East.’
According to a press release issued by the Parliament, in her intervention during the debate, the President of the Parliament said that world peace cannot be protected, if there is no strong political leadership at the helm of the EU. Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, Demetriou noted, was a wake-up call for the EU’s own security, while the flare-up of the Middle East crisis made the need for action even stronger. The EU’s response to all crises, she stressed, must always be the same and be correct, whether it is the Putin regime, or Lukashenko’s, w
hether it is occupation, human rights violations, ethnic cleansing, whether it is Gaza, Ukraine, Cyprus, Nagorno Karabakh or Serbia. No matter how many years pass, the President of the Parliament pointed out, we do not have the right to forget, nor should we stop fighting.
Demetriou emphasised both the need and the importance of collective action to face the common challenges faced by the Union and underlined that real strategic autonomy in the fields of defence and security, as well as energy, requires a re-evaluation of the Union’s collaborations, requires its cooperation with reliable partners and with democratic states operating on the basis of principles and values and supported the continued cooperation of the Union with NATO.
There must be a reduction in tension, an investment in peace and an immediate response to all crises in the same way, Demetriou underlined, by regaining the trust of citizens with our leadership ability in major international and European issues. Demetriou also criticised the ab
sence of a single voice and a common line on the part of the EU on key issues, such as immigration. This is exactly, as the President of the Parliament underlined, what the extremists are taking advantage of and she wondered how European political leaders will be able to convince the citizens of their ability to protect them from populism, propaganda, fake news, when they cannot protect themselves and their country. We absolutely must, protect the human rights of our citizens and the Republic, she underlined, pointing out that it is for this reason that we need the appropriate legislative framework for the use of social media.
On the sidelines of the Conference, the President of the House held separate bilateral meetings with the Vice-President of the National Assembly of Serbia, Elvira Kovács, the Speaker of the Polish Lower House, Szymon Holownia and the President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrcil.
During the meeting with Kovács, the President of the Parliament reaffirmed Cyprus’ support for the respect
of the sovereignty and territorial integrity of Serbia, with absolute respect for international law. Demetriou and Kovács exchanged views on the issue of the positive opinion of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe on the accession of Kosovo to the Council of Europe and noted that this development creates a dangerous precedent for other separatist entities that act in violation of international law and outside the framework of the United Nations, seeking international recognition. Demetriou and Kovács also agreed to further strengthen cooperation and dialogue at the bilateral level.
During separate meetings with the President of the Czech Senate, Miloš Vystrcil, and the Speaker of the Polish Lower House, Szymon Holownia, the President of the Parliament provided an update on the increased flows of Syrians from Lebanon to Cyprus, but also on her initiative to hold a joint meeting of the Presidents/Vice-Presidents of the Parliaments of the member countries of the South (Cyprus, Greece, France, It
aly, Spain, Portugal and Malta), with the participation of the European Parliament, with the aim of exchanging views on the possibility of taking joint actions on the issue, mainly exerting pressure for the lifting of the legal status of automatic protection of Syrian immigrants and the reclassification of areas of Syria from dangerous to safe. The President of the Parliament requested the support of the two Presidents on the matter.
Furthermore, during the meeting with the Speaker of the Lower House of Poland, Szymon Holownia, the issue of cooperation between the two parliaments was also discussed, in the context of the Trio Presidency of Poland, Denmark and Cyprus.
Source: Cyprus News Agency