Press Releases

It is with great honour and particular pleasure that I welcome the President of the Republic of India, Shri Ram Nath Kovind, to the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus. Your Excellency’s presence at this Special Meeting of the House today, as well as your official visit to Cyprus, attests to the historical ties of friendship and cooperation between us, while at the same time it revives and deepens relations between the Governments, Parliaments and people of Cyprus and India.

Our historical ties have been sealed over time by the solidarity and commitment of our peoples to common principles and values. They were also sealed by the actions and exchanges of historic leaders of our two countries since the Non-Aligned Movement era. We have inherited solid foundations, on which we continue to build, responding to the demands of the times. Remembering this legacy, we cross Nehru Avenue daily and our gaze meets Gandhi’s bust, which is situated next to our Parliament’s building and where we paid our respects just before our meeting. Since the historic visit to Cyprus and to the House of Representatives of the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi in 1983, many years have passed, but, as confirmed by last year's visit to India by the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, our ties have remained solid and unchanged through time and challenges.

At this point, Mr President of the Republic of Cyprus, I should stress that despite the clear discrimination of powers in our Constitution, the cooperation of the House of Representatives with the Executive, as well as the exercise of parliamentary diplomacy, greatly contribute to the promotion of world peace, international cooperation and the development of ties of friendship and understanding between Cyprus and other countries, and for this I should like to express our satisfaction.

Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic of India,

The long course of our ties through history, culture and common struggles translates into mutual support between our countries in international and regional fora. Our bilateral relations are on the rise and this is reflected both in the international political scene and in the intensification of cooperation in international organizations on issues of crucial importance for both countries. On the parliamentary level, these relations are manifested in the framework of the Interparliamentary Union, the Commonwealth Parliamentary Association and the Asian Parliamentary Assembly where, through joint strategies, cooperation is deepened with the ultimate goal of achieving security, progress and prosperity for our peoples and creating conditions of stability and peace in their wider region.

The House of Representatives attaches great importance to further strengthening its relations with the Parliament of India, to the adoption of concrete measures in this direction and to the discussion of policies in specific areas. In this context, I renewed my previous invitation to my Indian counterpart for a visit to Cyprus; an invitation that has already been accepted.

Your Excellency,

Global developments, conflicts, the phenomenon of terrorism, the overall erosion of moral values, are challenges that we can handle only when initiatives and synergies are turned into practices. In this direction, India can play a major role, since, as one of the most populous and world-leading powers, it has strengthened its role both in the Asian continent and in the wider world. Furthermore, the relationship with the European Union, your largest trading partner, is steadily progressing, counting over fifty years of cooperation. In this context, India, this vast country in terms of population, history, culture and nowadays especially technology, can always rely on Cyprus as a bridge of dialogue and cooperation with the Union.

I would like to seize this occasion to express the appreciation of both the House of Representatives and the Cyprus’ people to the friendly country of India for its consistent and long-standing principled stance in what concerns Cyprus’ efforts for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem. As far as your country’s tangible contribution of human resources in UNFICYP is concerned, the presence of three Indian generals leading the Peace Force in Cyprus at critical times is very much remembered. Also significant is the participation of your country’s police officers in the Force today.

In this context, we also owe particular thanks for India’s multiple efforts within the UN and the Commonwealth, as well as for its valuable support to the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus, with regard to Turkey’s provocative actions in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone.

Recognizing India’s consistent principled stance concerning the Cyprus problem, I am obliged to express my regret as, unfortunately, Turkey's tactics and behaviour so far does not allow any optimism. Turkey, whose role is decisive for the success of the negotiation process, insists, through intransigent positions and by refusing to respect international and European law, on keeping its troops on the island after the solution. The Cyprus problem has thus always been and still remains a problem of invasion, occupation and violation of human rights, a situation that must at long last come to an end.

It is necessary for the international community to put an end to Turkey's shenanigans, exercising substantial pressure on Ankara to respect international law, the human rights of the entire Cypriot people and to end provocations, as Turkey refuses to fulfill its obligations towards Cyprus, the EU and the international community in general. We hope that our efforts, along with your help and support, will soon lead to a just, viable and functional solution, based on relevant UN Security Council resolutions and the European acquis. Our side consistently strives to achieve a lasting solution that will guarantee a free Cyprus with one sovereignty, one nationality, one international personality and political equality as defined in pertinent UN Security Council resolutions.

As Ghandi said in his wisdom: “Earth provides enough to satisfy every man’s needs, but not every man’s greed”. His words are more relevant today than ever. 

Your Excellency, Mr President of the Republic of India,

Once again, let me welcome you to Cyprus and to the House of Representatives. I am convinced that your visit, in addition to reaffirming the excellent relations of our two countries, will aptly lead to their further deepening and promotion.

I wish you personally, as well as to the friendly people of India, constant progress, prosperity and fulfillment of your noble goals.

AH/SCH