Serbia and Cyprus will continue to cultivate strong diplomatic relations, based on historical ties, the common Orthodox faith and cooperation on various international platforms, was the message of today’s meeting held in the National Assembly House between the Head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cyprus Biljana Pantic Pilja and the Ambassador of Cyprus to the Republic Serbia by Andreas Photiou.
Biljana Pantic Pilja expressed her satisfaction with the visit, pointing out what a great honour it was for her to once again be at the head of the Parliamentary Friendship Group with Cyprus, saying that the Group already has 55 members, with a tendency to increase in number. She used the opportunity to thank Cyprus for its principled position regarding Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, as well as the position taken by the Cypriot delegation in the Council of Europe regarding the reception of so-called Kosovo. "You are surely familiar with the situation in Kosovo-Metohija and I would like to express my concern for the Serbian population, due to the current escalation of Albin Kurti’s persecution against the Serbian people in the areas. Human rights and freedoms of the Serbian population are violated every day. The international community was a little louder this time, but measures are still not being taken to suppress Albin Kurti's terror against the Serbian population," the MP pointed out, adding that the Republic of Serbia thinks that dialogue is the only solution to these problems, but that yesterday Kurti's delegation in Brussels showed that they are not interested in dialogue.
The officials opined that sharing common values and cooperation is reflected in various international issues, including Serbia's accession to the European Union, supporting regional stability and not deviating from the fight for human and minority rights.
The Ambassador said that Cyprus will continue to consistently support Serbia’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, especially on the Kosovo-Metohija issue. He informed the MP about the current situation in Cyprus and stated that Cyprus supports the dialogue between Belgrade and Pristina as the only real way to overcome the problems. He added that even at the level of European integration, Cyprus firmly supports Serbia’s efforts and the opening of cluster 3.
The meeting also touched on economic relations, with the conclusion that trade is growing and that the fields of tourism, energy and modern technologies have underutilised potential.
They also talked about the exchange of visits at all levels, especially the National Assembly Speaker’s upcoming visit to Cyprus, which the Head of the PFG with Cyprus Biljana Pantic Pilja will also take part in. Ambassador Photiou and the Head of the PFG with Cyprus Biljana Pantic Pilja arranged a meeting with the members of the Friendship Group, where the PFG members would learn more about the two countries’ common goals and the similar challenges they face.
The officials agreed to continue to actively promote cultural exchange and cooperation, including student exchanges, language courses and cultural events.
