Source: CNA
Cyprus’ full sympathy and support to the people of Ukraine, who are experiencing what the Cypriot people experienced, as a result of the Turkish invasion and occupation of the island by Turkey, was expressed by the President of the House Annita Demetriou, during the Conference of the Presidents of Parliaments of small European States, hosted by the Parliament of Luxembourg.
A press release by the Parliament says that the Conference discussed the role of Parliaments in dealing with new challenges that threaten democratic institutions, during yesterday’s works, in the presence of the first Deputy Speaker of the Parliament of Ukraine, Oleksandr Korniyenko.
Demetriou emphasized that the condemnation of any violation of international law is everyone's responsibility, noting that the Russian invasion of Ukraine threatens European principles, values and democracy.
A Joint Declaration included recommendations by Demetriou on the need to condemn any violation of international law and the importance of solidarity towards Ukrainian people, women and children
She referred to the need for parliaments to regain the trust of citizens and young people in particular, by implementing actions oriented towards communication and information and expressed the need to interact with the academic and scientific community, which will give new dynamics to the work of national parliaments.
The Conference adopted a Joint Declaration, which included recommendations submitted by the President of the Parliament, among others on the need to condemn any violation of international law, on the importance of demonstrating continuous solidarity towards the Ukrainian people, with an emphasis on women and children, as well as a proposal for the development of actions and programs with which young people will have the opportunity to become more actively involved in the political process and get to know the functioning of the institutions, aimed at reducing democratic deficits.
The Joint Declaration also included a recommendation by the President of the Parliament on the need to take initiatives for unified action with the aim of protecting women, young people, but also the persons involved in politics themselves, from the attacks they receive from social media.
Moreover, the Presidents of the Parliaments adopted proposals of the President of the Cyprus Parliament for the undertaking of joint initiatives between the small states of Europe in the field of tourism, as well as for the establishment of an informal cooperation network at the administrative level, between the Parliaments of the Small States of Europe, regarding cyber security issues.
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.
