IT IS ENVISAGED SIGNING NEW AGREEMENT ON ARMENIAN-CYPRIAN INTERPARLIAMENTARY COOPERATION

Noyan Tapan

Nov 13, 2008

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 13, NOYAN TAPAN. The heads of the parliaments of
Cyprus and Armenia have agreed to deepen bilateral realtions, the
President of the House of Representatives of Cyprus Marios Karoyian
stated at the joint press conference of the speakers of the Armenian
and Cyprian parliaments at the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia on November 13. In his words, Cyprus as a EU member state is
ready to assist Armenia in implementing its programs with the EU.

M. Karoyian said that during his meeting with Armenia’s president,
prime minister and foreign minister, the sides informed each other
about the foreign policy problems of the two countries and expressed
a desire to deepen cooperation in the spheres of economy, tourism
and culture. According to M. Karoyian, the businessmen who arrived
with him in Armenia have expressed an intention to cooperate with
Armenian colleagues. Noting that until now the level of economic
cooperation was quite low, he expressed a hope that henceforth the
commodity turnover between two countries will grow.

Both sides intend to make mutual investments, and concrete programs
will be developed and presented in the near future.

In the words of M. Karoyian, in the foreign policy sphere, both
Armenia and Cyprus conduct policies aimed at ensuring security,
peace and stability and their policies are based on the principles of
international law and European cooperation. He stated that in this
issue Cyprus has the same position as Armenia, taking into account
the fact that the South Caucasus is gradually acquiring a greater
geopolitical significance in the world. He underlined that Cyprus
also tries to solve its problems by peaceful negotiations.

According to him, historically, Cyprus and Armenia have the same
adversary – Turkey that in 1994 occupied 37% of the territory of
Cyprus, keeps a 45,000-strong army there, and has moved illegally 185
thousand people from Anatolia. Human rights, principles and resolutions
of the UN and the EU are constantly violated in Turkey. While
proposing programs on peace and stability in the region, Turkey
has not recognized so far the fact of the genocide of 1.5 million
innocent Armenians and continues keeping its border with Armenia
closed. According to M. Karoyian, when giving its consent as a EU
member for the start of negotiations on Turkey’s membership of the EU,
Cyprus put forward a number of preconditions, none of which has been
implemented so far.

The Speaker of the RA National Assembly Hovik Abrahamian in his turn
said that Cyprus was one of the first countries to recognize the 1915
Armenian Genocide, while its House of Representatives in 1975 declared
April 24 as the National Day of Genocide Remembrance. He announced
that his counterpart has invited him to Cyprus where it is envisaged
signing a new agreement on interparliamentary cooperation. According
to H. Abrahamian, it is planned to revise and expand the agreement
signed between the parliaments of Armenia and Cyprus in 2003.