The Cyprus issue, the wars in Ukraine and Gaza as well as the upcoming European elections were discussed at a meeting held in Nicosia, on Wednesday, between the President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou and the President of Estonia Alar Karis in the framework of his official visit to Cyprus.
The President of Estonia signed the guest book at the House of Representatives and later on held a meeting with the House President.
Welcoming the Estonian President, Demetriou said that there is a wide range of policies of common interest that Estonia and Cyprus share and expressed the wish that their meeting will mark the beginning of a productive cooperation.
The Estonian President thanked the President of the Parliament for the hospitality and assured that the contacts between them will continue.
Meanwhile, according to a press release by the House of Representatives, during the meeting, Demetriou referred to the Cyprus issue, saying that in view of the ongoing Turkish provocations and the unaccep
table claims of the Turkish side for a “two-state” solution in Cyprus, a solution is imperative. It is crucial, she stressed, to invest in peace, stability and security in Cyprus and beyond.
She referred in this regard, at the initiative that the Republic of Cyprus has undertaken for the creation of a maritime corridor for the transfer of humanitarian aid to Gaza, and pointed out the support it has received from the international community, “which is indicative of the constructive and catalytic role that Cyprus can play in the Eastern Mediterranean as abridge of dialogue and cooperation”.
Regarding Ukraine, she said that Cyprus supported from the very beginning the independence, territorial integrity and sovereignty of the country, being itself a victim of the Turkish invasion and violation of fundamental human rights.
The Ukrainian people should not, she underlined, experience the same tragic consequences that the Cypriot people still experience in their daily lives fifty years after the Turkish invasion
and continued occupation.
During the meeting, Demetriou and Karis also discussed issues of common interest such as the upcoming European elections and green energy.
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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Columbia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency