House President praises France’s support for Cyprus in Paris meetings

The strategic cooperation between Cyprus and France in the key sectors of security, defence, energy, tourism, trade and education and the mutual will to further deepen them, were emphasised by the President of the Parliament Annita Demetriou and French officials, with whom she met on Wednesday as part of her visit to France.

According to a press release issued by the House of Representatives, Demetriou held a series of meetings on Wednesday accompanied by the Ambassador of Cyprus to France, Pavlos Kombos.

At the French National Assembly, Demetriou had a meeting with President of the French National Assembly Yaël Braun-Pivet, in the presence of President of the Foreign Affairs Committee, Jean-Louis Bourlanges, President of the France-Cyprus Friendship Group in the National Assembly, Laurent Alexandre and deputy representative of the French expatriates, Meyer Habib.

The meeting with the President of the Senate, Gérard Larcher, was also attended by Vice-President of the House, responsible for interparliamentary cooperation and Friendship Groups, Loïc Hervé, President of the Committee on Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces, Cédric Perrin, President of the France-Cyprus Friendship Group in the French Senate, Samantha Cazebonne, and Member of the European Affairs Committee, Pascale Gruny. Before the meetings with her two counterparts, Demetriou signed the guest books of the two Houses of the French Parliament.

Earlier, the House of Representatives President had a meeting with President Cédric Perrin and Members of the Foreign Affairs, Defence and Armed Forces Committee, as part of a Committee session. She also had a separate meeting with the President of the France-Cyprus Friendship Group in the French National Assembly, Laurent Alexandre, and Members Meyer Habib and Sophie Mette.

As noted, during the above meetings, the excellent level of relations and strategic cooperation between the two countries, based on common principles and values, was emphasised.

Demteriou, expressed the appreciation of Cyprus and its people for the long-term support of France as a European leading power and a permanent member of the UN Security Council, in the efforts to solve the Cyprus problem, in accordance with international law, the relevant Resolutions of United Nations Security Council and European principles and values.

Demetriou also highlighted the commitment of the EU to the goal of resumption of Cyprus talks, from where they stopped in Crans Montana. The position of the Turkish side for a two-state solution cannot be accepted, said Demetriou, and Turkey's continuous violations of the EEZ and the territory of the Republic of Cyprus must be clearly condemned and double standards should be avoided, be it Ukraine and the Middle East, Nagorno-Karabakh or Cyprus.

The strategic cooperation that is developing between the two countries, in the key areas of security, defence, energy, tourism, trade and education, was also welcomed on both sides and the mutual will to further deepen them was emphasised. The common vision of achieving conditions of peace, stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean region was also highlighted.

According to the press release, French officials noted the important role of Cyprus as a pillar of security and stability in this unstable region, while it was also emphasised that Cyprus is a strategically important partner for France. In this context, sincere thanks were expressed for the facilities provided by Cyprus for the evacuation of French citizens from the war zone of the Middle East.

Demetriou said that we must invest in more democracy and join forces to defend our common principles and values. We count on the leading role of France in this direction, she added.

With regard to the immigration issue, Demetriou referred to the particular difficulties that Cyprus is facing due to the instrumentalisation of irregular immigrants by Turkey, as well as the flare-up in the Middle East. She also underlined the need to arrive at a common and clear position at the level of the European Union, based on solidarity and fair sharing of responsibility between all member states.

We must remain on the right side of history and defend our principles and values and therefore the European edifice itself, said the House of Representatives President.

Additionally, on Wednesday afternoon, Demetriou attended part of the Plenary Session of the Senate, during which the Vice-President of the House, Sophie Primas, welcomed the presence of Demetriou on behalf of the President of the House, Gérard Larcher.

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.