UK House of Commons Speaker begins three-day official visit to Cyprus

Speaker of the House of Commons of the UK, Sir Lindsay Hoyle, begins a three-day official visit to Cyprus on Monday, at the invitation of the President of the House of Representatives Annita Demetriou.

It is the first official visit by a Speaker of the House of Commons to Cyprus and it marks a milestone for the parliamentary relations between the two countries, a press release by the Parliament said.

In an interview with the Cyprus News Agency, Sir Lindsay said friendship and democracy “bind us together”, noting that bilateral friendship is at a high point.

He also said it was at the European Conference of Presidents of Parliament organized last October in Athens by the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly that Sir Lindsay Hoyle had the opportunity to meet Annita Demetriou, the President of the House of Representatives who extended the invitation to celebrate 60 years of the anniversary of Cyprus’s independence.

Sir Lindsay Hoyle will be accompanied by high-ranking officials from the House of Commons and during his visit, he will be received by the President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades, the Foreign Minister Ioannis Kasoulides and House President Annita Demetriou. He will also meet with the President of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs Harris Georgiades and members of the Committee.

Demetriou who will welcome the Speaker of the House of Commons at the airport will also host an official dinner in his honor.

On Tuesday Sir Lindsay Hoyle will address the Plenary of the House in an extraordinary session to begin in the afternoon. He will also participate in a round table discussion with Demetriou and university students on parliamentary transparency.

He will also visit the walled city of Nicosia and the British Contingent of UNFICYP as well as the British Bases in Episkopi and Akrotiri.