Members of a global organisation of elected officials of Greek descent visited Cyprus this week, for a series of meetings over the illegal occupation of northern Cyprus and the need to strive for reunification.
The visit of the World Hellenic Inter-Parliamentary Association (WHIA) delegation, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the invasion, featured a meeting with the president of Cuprus, Nikos Christodoulides.
Efforts to seek a lasting, peaceful solution for the reunification of the island, as well as the WHIA’s willingness to encourage economic and cultural ties between the island and the regions represented by its members, were high on the agenda.
The delegation also applauded Cyprus’ role in facilitating the humanitarian sea corridor in the region delivering food and vital supplies to places impacted by the conflict.
“The Republic of Cyprus is a member of the European Union and is a stable and reliable partner in the region. It is time to enable the Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots to decide their own future in a peaceful and united Cyprus,” a statement of the WHIA read.
With regards to the ongoing illegal occupation of the island, the delegation visited the Minister of Defence, Vasilis Palmas and the Cypriot National Guard to receive a briefing on the current status, as well as the Hellenic Forces in Cyprus (ELDYK) where they paid their respects to the soldiers who lost their lives as a result of the invasion.
The schedule included a visit to the Green Line in Nicosia and meetings with several Cypriot diaspora organisations and Archbishop Georgios of Cyprus.
In recent weeks, the WHIA passed a resolution on Cyprus at its General Assembly expressing support for Christodoulides to restart negotiations through the European Union and the United Nations.
Individual members have also taken action in their respective regions.
WHIA President and Rhode Island State Senator Leonidas Raptakis has pushed for Cyprus to be included in the United States visa waiver program and a group of 24 US legislators has been pushing to extend the waiver renewal period for the arms embargo on the Republic of Cyprus from one year to five years.
The Parliament of Canada unanimously passed a Resolution in June marking the 50th anniversary of the invasion and calling for a just and peaceful reunification of the island.
On 4 July, Australian Federal MP Steve Georganas raised the issue of Cyprus and its occupation in the Federal Parliament.
Legislators comprising the WHIA delegation, three of which are of Greek Cypriot descent came from Australia, Canada, South Africa, Ukraine and the United States.
The makeup of the delegation included: Rhode Island State Senator (U.S.A.) Leonidas Raptakis, Lt. Governor of Nevada (U.S.A.) Stavros Anthony, Connecticut State Representative (U.S.A.) Nicole Klarides-Ditria, New York Assemblyman (U.S.A.) Michael Tannousis, Wyoming State Senator (U.S.A.) Stephan Pappas, Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario (Canada) Effie Triantafilopoulos, Federal Member of Parliament (Canada) Annie Koutrakis, Member of Provincial Parliament of Ontario (Canada) Aris Babikian, Australian Federal Member of Parliament Steve Georganas, South Australian MP Andrea Michaels, South African MP George Michalakis, Member of Parliament, and the First Deputy Chairman of the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Ukraine Parliament Hryhoriy Nemyria.
