CYPRIOT SPEAKER CALLS PARLIAMENTARY DIPLOMACY "PERFECT TOOL" FOR CYPRUS

Cyprus News Agency
April 15 2008

Nicosia, 15 April: The president of the House of Representatives,
Marios Karoyian believes that parliamentary diplomacy is a perfect
tool" to promote Cyprus’s objectives, to consolidate links and
relations with other parliaments and people, and project the country’s
civilization, which he describes as the "spear of the Republic
of Cyprus".

In an interview with CNA, Karoyian said that Cyprus President
Dhimitrios Khristofias, former house president, is particularly
sensitive to the role the house has to play and has always had a
deep understanding of the problems associated with the running of
the House of Representatives.

"This is why I believe that President Khristofias will have a lending
ear to matters relating to the financial autonomy of the house and
the creation of a department that will prepare legislation," he said.

Karoyian, who was elected to the house presidency in March this year,
said that events in the past couple of years and fate itself have
elevated him to his current post.

In less than two years Karoyian was elected MP of the Democratic Party
(Diko), securing more votes than any of the party’s other candidates,
was later on elected president of Diko and then president of the
House of Representatives.

He has told CNA that he had not planned this course and is fully
aware of the realities of power, saying that the "power that comes
with a high post is not eternal".

"The election to the house presidency charges me with additional
responsibilities to act collectively as the president of the house
and at the same time to continue the work that Mr Khristofias, former
president of the house, achieved in many sectors. On the other hand,
we are called upon to bring about the necessary changes and reforms
we deem are important to strengthen further the role of the parliament
within Cyprus and in relation to its international presence, and at the
same time to promote bilateral relations with many other parliaments,"
he said.

Karoyian noted that the shoulders of any one person are not strong
enough to withstand the problems, emanating from the continuing
occupation of the island’s northern third.

"Collective wisdom is the main parameter of my reasoning and
behaviour," he said, adding that "these elements are necessary for the
parliament, as a temple of democracy, to function in an impeccable
way, appropriate to our civilization, history and the vision we
want to realize, that is to see our homeland, the parliament, the
institutions making important steps forward, adopting innovation and
anything new coming from the technological revolution that has been
going on for the past two decades".

Furthermore, Karoyian said parliamentary diplomacy was important in
promoting Cyprus’s aims, enhancing support in parliaments and peoples,
promoting the Cyprus problem and promoting the Cypriot culture,
which is the spear of the Republic of Cyprus.

"We shall work always bearing in mind that we should serve the interest
of the county," he stressed.

Referring to comments about his Armenian origins, Karoyian said
these were from a small number of persons and that the majority of
the people were not affected by racist syndromes or concepts.

He said he was proud of his origin, proud to be part of the Greek
Cypriot community and would serve the country and the Republic
of Cyprus.

The house president said he aims to establish a two-way communication
with the citizens, which he believes is necessary to convince them that
politics are not some distant concept. Such contact, he explained,
could also help tackle criticism against politicians and politics
in general.

This approach, he told CNA, could make the citizen feel that
"decision-making does not take place behind closed doors and it is
not a dark procedure alien to the citizen."

Karoyian said his first official visit as house president would be
to the Greek parliament.

The house president fended off criticism that his party’s support
for Dhimitrios Khristofias’s candidacy during February’s presidential
elections was in exchange for his election to the house presidency.

He said Diko’s decision to back Khristofias for the presidency
was taken after the party had evaluated the positions of the
two candidates on the Cyprus problem, their credibility and other
political parameters.