The Greek Cypriot Parliament and the Parliament of Egypt signed a revised Memorandum of Cooperation Monday in Cairo.
The Memorandum was signed 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 at the interparliamentary level and jointly supports 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.
( Source : CNA )
