House President meets French, Israeli, Armenian, and Slovenian counterparts

President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou, held meetings with parliamentary leaders from France, Israel, Armenia, and Slovenia on the sidelines of the Council of Europe Presidents' Conference in Dublin.

According to a parliament’s press release, during her meeting with President of the French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, both leaders reaffirmed the strong Cyprus-France relationship and their commitment to further strengthen ties, particularly at the parliamentary level. They, also discussed France's steadfast support for Cyprus in international forums, including the United Nations Security Council.

Demetriou also met with President of the Slovenian National Assembly Urška Klakočar Zupančič. During the meeting she expressing gratitude for Slovenia's principled support in resolving the Cyprus issue. They discussed ongoing developments in Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh. According to the press release both Demetriou and Zupančič stressed that national parliaments should offer their support to the people of Ukraine and Nagorno-Karabakh in every possible way, based on international law and the defense of human rights.

In the meeting with the President of the National Assembly of Armenia, Alen Simonyan, the strong and historic bonds of friendship between the two countries were reaffirmed. Demetriou expressed unwavering solidarity with the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh and the Armenian people.

In the meeting with the President of the Israeli Knesset, Amir Ohana, the two officials referred to the excellent level of relations and cooperation between the two countries in areas of mutual interest. The importance of further advancing trilateral cooperation among Cyprus, Greece, and Israel, within the parliamentary framework, was also highlighted. Knesset President noted that Israel attributes great importance to its relations with Cyprus as a neighbouring and friendly country.

The House President also met with Marija Pejčinović Burić, Secretary-General of the Council of Europe. During the meeting Cyprus' dedication to Council of Europe principles and values, and its commitment to uphold decisions from the European Court of Human Rights was reaffirmed.

Demetriou also noted that all member states must fulfil their treaty obligations, stressing that double standards undermine the principles and credibility of the organization. Moreover, she expressed satisfaction regarding the recent decision of the Committee of Ministers of the Council of Europe to continue monitoring the 4th Inter-State Application of Cyprus against Turkey, noting that the decisions of the European Court of Human Rights should be applied by all member states without exception.

CNA/TN/GV/2023