The Presidency of the Council of the EU is a duty and a privilege for the Republic of Cyprus and the success of the Presidency is the objective not only of the government, but also of all the citizens of Cyprus, Minister of Foreign Affairs Erato Kozakou Markoullis has stressed.
Speaking at an event organized by the Archbishopric of Cyprus on the occasion of the assumption of the Presidency of the Council of EU by the Republic of Cyprus, Markoullis said that this Presidency entails responsibilities, but at the same time it provides us with the opportunity to prove our worth, establishing Cyprus as a reliable and constructive partner in the EU.
Referring to the central message of Cyprus Presidency “Towards a better Europe”, the Foreign Minister stressed that our conviction is that the Union cannot be cut-off from the citizens. “It is our duty to search and find collective solutions to social problems, to promote social cohesion, growth without exclusion and job promotion”.
The economic and financial crisis has shown to us that we are not isolated from the rest of the world and especially developments in out “neighborhood” affect us directly, she added. “That is the reason why the policy of enlargement, the improvement of relations with the countries of our southern neighborhood and the promotion of the development goals of the EU are main priorities of the Cyprus Presidency,” she said.
The contribution of the Church of Cyprus in the promotion and visibility of the Cyprus Presidency is extremely important, Marcoullis said adding that several events will be organized during the Cyprus Presidency in cooperation with a number of diplomatic missions with the aim to promote Cyprus and its cultural heritage. Such events will be organized in Paris, Vienna, Thessaloniki, the Vatican, Hague and Belgrade.
Addressing the event, Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II assured that the creation and the establishment of the European Union is an unparalleled event of extreme importance for the world history. Today, the entire European Union is called upon finding solutions to important problems it faces because of the economic crisis, he added.
“Of course, what is required, in these difficult times, is a Europe based on solidarity, development and social cohesion. As spiritual leaders, however, we must stress, that the way out of the current situation cannot be searched only within economic or political factors. Above all, it is a necessity to seek the solutions in a spirit of solidarity, of truth and of love”.
Let us not forget that one of the pillars of European culture is Christianity, whose moral values, as they are outlined within the Evangelical Word, continue to shape the European culture, Archbishop has stressed.
He also assured that the Church will assist for the success of the high objectives of Cypriot Presidency. “At the same time, the church is prepared to project and present all its spiritual wealth within the European framework, to demonstrate the historicity, the spirituality and the deeply rooted in time culture of this island”. To prove that Cyprus was in the History of Christianity, the Gateway of Europe; it was through the centuries a source of European ideas and it is today a historic challenge for Europe, for the consolidation and application of the principles on which it was founded and it is struggling for, as he added.
“Christianity, with its eternal values, was and remains to be the blending link of the E.U. These values of the E.U. must reign again in the whole of Cyprus” Archbishop concluded his speech.
