On the third and final day of his visit to London the President of the House of Representatives and leader of EDEK Yiannakis Omirou has been holding meetings with British officials.

The day began with a meeting with the Labour shadow Minister for European Affairs Gareth Thomas MP.  Omirou had the opportunity to update Mr Thomas on the developments relating to the Cyprus issue negotiations and the progress of dealing with the challenges facing the Cypriot economy. They also discussed the policies of the EU and Turkey’s aspirations of becoming an EU member.

In a statement after the meeting Omirou said that he suggested to his interlocutor that it was time countries such as the UK exercised their influence on Turkey in order for Ankara to abandon its intransigence on Cyprus. “I also had the opportunity to discuss with the shadow Minister for Europe Turkey’s European course and state that if Turkey wants to have a European future, then it will have to comply with the European Council requirements and the criteria set for all candidate member countries,” said Omirou.

Thomas expressed his party’s satisfaction for the resumption of negotiations in Cyprus. “We recognise it will be a lengthy process to find a solution. Britain has a key role as one of the outside countries with a strong interest in Cyprus. If we are, as we hope, elected to government next May, certainly given the Labour party’s long friendship with Cyprus we will want to do all that we can do to find a solution that is acceptable to the people of Cyprus,” said Thomas in a statement following the meeting. He also said that he hoped to visit Cyprus in order to better understand what needs to be done on the ground and what role Britain can play. “I hope in that way this is a start of a renewed friendship between Britain and Cyprus and between the Labour party and the people of Cyprus and I certainly intend to follow up and play my part in trying to build that relationship further,” he concluded.

Omirou also expressed his concerns about the policies implemented in Europe. As he pointed out, the EU needs a change of direction and policies encouraging investment, growth and new jobs, for a Europe of social solidarity and cohesion.

Speaking after his meeting with the Speaker of the House of Commons John Bercow, Yiannakis Omirou said they discussed how Britain can and must play a part in resolving the Cyprus issue, both as a guarantor power and a permanent member of the UN’s Security Council. “Of course I stated that the characteristics of such a solution should be the single sovereignty, the single citizenship and the single international legal personality, along with the withdrawal of Turkish troops and settlers and the upholding of human rights and fundamental freedoms as stated in international and European treaties,” added Omirou.

He also said that during his discussion with the Speaker he condemned the violation by Turkey of the Cyprus Republic’s Exclusive Economic Zone. “Lastly, I also referred to the Cyprus economy, to the need for an active support and solidarity by the EU in order to overcome the problems created by the unacceptable behaviour of the Eurogroup and also the heartless demands of the troika,” added  Omirou, who expressed his satisfaction for House of Commons’ support for a solution to the Cyprus issue based on the relevant agreements and resolutions.

Bercow said it was a pleasure and privilege to meet the Cypriot parliament President again: “We had an interesting chat. Mr President brought me up to date with the challenges his country faces in relation to Turkey and his desire for a constructive and durable solution. I listened to those points with interest and respect and I can of course feed them into conversations with my own colleagues here at the Houses of Parliament and amongst members of the government. More widely we talked about the state of the European economy and not least the state of the economy in Cyprus, and the great importance of doing everything we reasonably can to assist people in difficulty and to ratchet up living standards and quality of life.”

Bercow said he very much hoped to take advantage of an invitation extended by Omirou to visit Cyprus. He commented that he regarded Cyprus as a friend and the President as a democratic friend, adding that “we have far more in common than we have that divides us.”

Omirou completes his visit with a late afternoon meeting with members of the British All Party Parliamentary Group for Cyprus and dinner at the Greek ambassador’s residence.