Parliaments of Cyprus and Egypt sign revised Memorandum of Cooperation

The Parliaments of Cyprus and Egypt have signed a revised Memorandum of Cooperation.

The Memorandum was signed in Cairo on 24 February by the President of the Parliament Annita Demetriou and her Egyptian counterpart Dr. Hanafy El Gebaly.

In a Facebook post, Demetriou says that they reaffirmed their will to strengthen bilateral cooperation, aiming at the common vision of achieving peace, stability and prosperity in our volatile region.

She says that the Memorandum reflects their readiness for a multidimensional cooperation at all levels, promoting the exchange of practices in areas of common interest, interparliamentary cooperation and diplomacy and reactivating Parliament friendship groups.

Demetriou also says that it strengthens coordination in interparliamentary level and jointly support solutions to international and regional issues of common interest on the basis of International Law, the Law of the Sea and UN Resolutions.

"Given Egypt's leading role in the Arab world and Cyprus' role as a bridge of dialogue between Europe and the region, we are strengthening cooperation through parliamentary diplomacy," she points out.

Demetriou, heading a delegation with MPs George Karoulas, Christos Christofides and Pavlos Mylonas, was warmly welcomed by the President of the House of Representatives of the Egyptian Parliament, following his official invitation.

She says that in a meeting they confirmed the strategic importance of Egypt-Cyprus cooperation and their commitment to strengthening the already excellent relations between the two parliaments.

Demetriou also said that they discussed the challenges in the region and briefed him about the Cyprus issue. They also exchanged views on political developments.

The House President said that they expressed their deep appreciation to Egypt for its long-standing position of principles and support for efforts to resume negotiations for a just and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions.

"Our common goal is peace and stability in the region," she noted.

The President of the House and the delegation also had a meeting with the President of the Senate Abdel Wahab Abdel Raseq.

Demetriou underlined that the visit is an opportunity to reaffirm the excellent relations between the two countries and their commitment to principles.

She said that Cyprus invests in the leading role of Egypt, especially at such a critical juncture, towards de-escalating tensions and welcomed, Egypt's mediation efforts on the Gaza issue.

The President of the Egyptian Senate expressed his gratitude for Cyprus' support in the EU, stating that Cyprus always has international legitimacy as its compass, both with regard to the Cyprus problem and in all other issues.

Raseq underlined the excellent level of relations between Egypt and Cyprus, both at the bilateral level and within the framework of the trilateral cooperation mechanism between Egypt, Greece and Cyprus, the importance of which, as he pointed out, is more widely recognized. 

The President of the House and the delegation finally met with the Secretary General of the Arab League, Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Demetriou praised Egypt's leading role in efforts to resolve regional issues and pointed out that, for its part, Cyprus, being a victim of flagrant violations of international law, has an additional responsibility to defend international legitimacy in all cases without exception against the logic of double standards.

Gheit expressed gratitude for Cyprus principled position regarding the Middle East issue and the respect of the Arab countries for the island's support and assistance in the problems of the Arab world, always guided by justice. He also informed the President of the House of Representatives about the initiative taken by Egypt to convene a summit on the Gaza issue on March 4.

House President and the Cyprus delegation visited Sunday the Holy Patriarchal Monastery of St. George in the old town of Cairo and had a meeting with the Metropolitan of Nubia and Abbot of the Monastery,  Savvas.

They also visited the Greek Hospital in Cairo, where they had a meeting with the President of the Greek Community of Cairo, Christos Kavalis.

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: CNA)