The Conference of Parliamentary Committees for Union Affairs (COSAC) wrapped up Monday in Madrid, in the framework of the Spanish Presidency of the Council of the European Union. Cyprus House of Representatives was represented by the Chair of the Parliamentary Committee on Foreign and European Affairs, Harris Georgiades.
An announcement by the Parliament says that in his intervention in a debate on the priorities of the Spanish Presidency, Georgiades stated that in seeking the strategic autonomy of the EU and a more effective role of the Union in the world, it is crucial to decide the way authoritarian regimes will be faced.
He said that prioritizing commercial gain over freedom, principles and values is wrong and stressed that compromising the Union's energy security and selling arms to regimes that violate human rights will ultimately harm the EU's vital interests.
The Cyprus Parliamentarian noted that the Russian invasion of Ukraine was a wake-up call for everyone and pointed out that in the Eastern Mediterranean region, Cyprus faces significant difficulties with an important neighboring country, namely Turkey.
He said that Cyprus, more than any other member state, could benefit significantly if Turkey sincerely pursued its European perspective. But for now, he stressed, Cyprus is still facing Turkish actions and policies which demonstrate that we are very far from this possibility.
Georgiades also acknowledged the need to maintain open corridors of communication with third countries, as European Commission President has noted, but underlined at the same time that more should be done to define a more effective and reliable policy regarding such regimes.
Source: Cyprus News Agency