Welcoming address by the President of the House
of Representatives
at the
Trilateral Parliamentary Meeting of Foreign Affairs Committees
in the Parliaments of Cyprus, Greece and
Israel
Dear Chairmen and Members of Foreign Affairs Committees
in the Parliaments of Greece, Israel and Cyprus,
Dear Ambassadors,
Ladies and
gentlemen,
It is with great pleasure that I welcome you today in
Cyprus and the House of Representatives, in the framework of this inaugural
Meeting of Committees in charge of Foreign Affairs in the Parliaments of Cyprus,
Greece and Israel.
The enhancement of relations between our three
countries, based on a shared will to work together towards promoting peace,
stability, cooperation and prosperity in our wider area and further upgrading
these friendly ties on the parliamentary level as well, is ever more welcome.
Especially so in times of high turbulence in the region of the Eastern
Mediterranean, where a number of serious threats and challenges jeopardize
peace, stability and security. Working together towards jointly tackling such
threats will certainly prove beneficial to our countries and peoples, as well as
to the region more broadly.
I therefore warmly welcome the
initiative of the Chairman of the Standing Committee on Foreign and European
Affairs of the House of Representatives, Mr Averof Neofytou, to invite you all
to this first Trilateral Parliamentary Meeting, equally mirroring the close
relations forged and the cooperation established at Governments’ level between
our countries. I am also pleased to see that participation in this Meeting is
broad and reflecting the political diversity of the representatives of the
people in our national assemblies. This certainly adds value to our
trilateral cooperation.
These meetings will constitute a very good opportunity
for Parliaments of likeminded countries to share and exchange views on matters
of mutual concern and interest, as well as to cooperate and coordinate work,
including on matters pertaining to the Trilateral Cooperation between Cyprus,
Greece and Israel. Inter-parliamentary cooperation, exchange of information,
know-how and best practices, not only facilitate, but furthermore give an
additional boost to the said cooperation, being established at a multitude of
levels.
“Mare Nostrum”, our common sea, has been the cradle of
civilizations, which has given rise to a common Mediterranean identity,
emanating from a shared history, culture and way of living. This is an identity
we, Cypriots, are very proud of and very much cherish. This explains why the
House of Representatives is always proactive in promoting the Mediterranean
dimension in all parliamentary fora. Driven by this very sense of common
belonging to the Mediterranean, Cyprus spares no effort in contributing to the
creation of conditions necessary for peace, stability, security and prosperity
in the Mediterranean and the Middle East in particular. It is in this context
that our good neighbourly relations are being utilized to promote the wider
possible regional cooperation. Today’s
meeting constitutes a fine example.
Looking forward to discussing matters further with you
during our afternoon meeting, I welcome you once more to Cyprus and to the House
of Representatives and wish you a fruitful meeting, being certain of the
positive results and high quality of your deliberations.
Thank
you.
