Cyprus-France parliamentary relations are excellent, House President says

The level of relations between the parliaments of Cyprus and France is excellent, said the President of the House of Representatives, Annita Demetriou, who received the French Ambassador to Cyprus, Salina Grenet-Catalano, in a farewell meeting on the occasion of the completion of her term here.

As a press release issued by the Parliament says, Demetriou on 22 July thanked France for the principled stance it maintains as regards the solution of the Cyprus problem both within the European Union and the United Nations Security Council.

Regarding the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion and occupation, Demetriou and Grenet-Catalano expressed disappointment that the term of the French Ambassador does not end with clear progress in resolving the Cyprus problem and jointly expressed the hope that there will be a positive outcome to the mission of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General, María Angela Holguín, with the resumption of the dialogue that will lead to the reunification of Cyprus on the basis of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council.

The President of the Parliament praised the contribution of Grenet-Catalano to the further strengthening of the already very close relations between Cyprus and France, in a wide range of sectors. She noted that France is a valuable ally for Cyprus in promoting issues of common European and international interest and made special reference to the recent inclusion of the House of Representatives in the French-speaking Parliamentary Assembly.

Finally, thanking the Ambassador for the kind cooperation between the House of Representatives and the Embassy of France during her term, Demetriou expressed satisfaction with the excellent level of relations between the parliaments of the two countries and noted her intention to work for further strengthening inter-parliamentary exchanges both at the level of Presidents of Parliaments, and at the level of Parliamentary Committees and Friendship Groups.

(Source: CNA)