The goal of establishing a cooperation group in the House of Representatives with the international Israel Allies Foundation, stated Chrysis Pantelidis and IAF President Josh Reinstein in remarks following the group’s meeting with President Nicos Christodoulides at the Presidential Palace.
An IAF delegation, led by the foundation’s president, Josh Reinstine, and members of the parliamentary working group on cooperation with the international foundation—ELAM MPs Sotiris Ioannou and Marios Pelekanos, and DIKO MPs Chrysis Pantelides and Andreas Apostolou, held a meeting on Wednesday morning with President Christodoulides.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
In remarks following the meeting, Mr. Pantelidis said on behalf of the initiative that six Members of Parliament—from the Democratic Rally, ELAM, and the Democratic Party had formed a working group with the international Israel Allies Foundation with the aim of developing parliamentary diplomacy, “to strengthen cooperative and allied relations between Cyprus and Israel, to advance common goals and shared aspirations not only toward addressing the challenges and threats we face in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, but also to counter Turkish expansionism and aggression, as well as terrorism, which, unfortunately, is also supported by Turkey.”
He thanked the President of the Republic for the meeting, noting that an official ceremony to launch this initiative will be held in the House of Representatives, which was proposed by members of the three parties he mentioned.
IAF President Josh Reinstein, when asked what they discussed with President Christodoulides, said they had the opportunity to discuss “the excellent relations” between Israel and Cyprus. “I believe that, under his presidency, our relations have developed at an unprecedented pace,” Mr. Reinstein said.
He noted that many focus on the fact “that we have a common adversary, the Muslim Brotherhood and Turkey.” “However, the truth is that we have a lot in common. Our economic ties, the work being done on undersea fiber-optic cables, and the initiatives currently underway strengthen and benefit both Cyprus and Israel,” he added.
When asked about cooperation through the Cypriot parliamentary group, he said that the IAF, which was founded nearly 20 years ago, has established 67 parliamentary groups supporting Israel in parliaments around the world, from the Fiji Islands to Brazil, with the largest group located in the United States Congress.
“Today, the 68th parliamentary group is being established in the Cypriot Parliament, which will join this network of 1,700 members of parliament and legislators from 68 countries around the world,” he said.
He said they had made a strategic decision to launch a parliamentary group in Greece yesterday and one in Cyprus today, “with the aim of highlighting the alliance between Israel, Cyprus, Greece, and the United States.”
Noting that the region offers significant opportunities for cooperation, Mr. Reinstein said they want to strengthen this cooperation, expressing his conviction that there are real opportunities for developing such relationships in the region.
When asked if they have specific plans to further strengthen these ties, specifically regarding Cyprus, the IAF president said that in the coming weeks and months they would discuss specific plans to strengthen relations in the region, enhance cooperation in the broader Baltic region, and at the European level, “and then expand this cooperation to our global network so that we can all work together.”
“We see many positive signs and support for Israel in Latin America, Eastern Europe, and the South Pacific islands. Of course, the United States remains our most important ally, and we continue to strengthen that relationship,” he said. However, he concluded, this particular region has now taken on special significance. “I believe that this cooperation can contribute to peace and prosperity in our region,” he said.
Source: CNA
