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Cyprus continues to play a bridge-building role for peace and stability, President says

The Republic of Cyprus, as the closest European state to the region and the representative of the European Union here will continue to play a bridge-building role for peace, security and stability, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday, speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Dialysis Unit in Paphos General Hospital, held in the presence of the President of the European Commission, Ursula von der Leyen. President Christodoulides stressed that the Republic of Cyprus does its utmost to fulfil its mission as a creative and beneficial partner and as part of the effort to find solutions. Referring to the agenda of the MED9 Summit held in Paphos on Friday, he said that the presence of the King of Jordan, a country with a particularly important role as a pillar of stability and peace in the region, is significant. "The war in the Middle East and the need to address the humanitarian crisis that is getting worse day by day, migratory pressures, energy, competitiveness, and climate cha nge are some of the issues on the agenda," he added, while expressing confidence that the summit will be productive and will contribute effectively towards finding creative and meaningful solutions. "A war is raging just a few kilometres from where we are. We all have the responsibility to take action as leaders to end the human tragedy and prevent further escalation," he said. He also referred to the delivery of humanitarian aid to the people of Gaza via Cyprus, through the international "Amalthea" initiative, which, as he said, the President of the Commission has supported from the very beginning, as well as to the secure hosting and repatriation of civilians evacuated via Cyprus from the war zone that 'are our key priorities', as he stressed. "Our neighbouring peoples and states can rely on the solidarity of the Republic of Cyprus and the European Union. Just as we, the Republic of Cyprus, invest in the support of our European partners, who I am sure recognize the enormous, perhaps even asymmetri, chall enges that a frontline member state has to face. A state which, at the same time, is trying to put an end to the illegal presence of Turkish occupation forces that have been here for fifty years," he said. 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