Press Releases

Dear Colleagues,

The 27^th of January has been established as the International Holocaust Remembrance Day. The mass and methodical extermination of millions of Jews by the Nazi regime constitutes the tragic culmination of a series of crimes against humanity, committed in the hellish death camps of the second World War.

Seventy-eight years later, the Holocaust Remembrance Day is not of merely symbolic importance, but is deemed necessary, as the European continent and modern democracies continuously face unprecedented phenomena deriving from racism and antisemitism, bringing into question European values and the European project itself, which constitutes the guardian of democratic peace. At the same time, the failure of the international system to secure world peace and stability, as if no lesson has been drawn from the past, once again confronts mankind with the ultimate challenge of a new mass extermination.    

The need to preserve the memory which highlights the horror and the annihilation of human by human, is therefore imperative, in the name of defending human life and human dignity.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Cyprus and Israel have forged special ties dating back to ancient times and have established diplomatic relations right after the independence of the Republic of Cyprus, while in recent years their relations and cooperation have been enhanced in a wide range of sectors, both at bilateral level and in the framework of the trilateral mechanism Greece-Cyprus-Israel. The trilateral cooperation between Greece, Cyprus and Israel is of particular geostrategic importance, based on the shared will to secure peace, collective security, stability and prosperity. It is for this very reason that we will continue to work towards further deepening and enhancing this cooperation, to the benefit of the peoples of Cyprus and Israel and the wider region.

I would like to salute the presence at today’s plenary meeting of the Ambassador of Israel, Mr. Oren Anolik, and of the Counselor of the Embassy of Poland Mr. Marcin Augustyn. I would also like to inform you that, also this year, the House of Representatives participates in the annual #WeRemember campaign of the World Jewish Congress and UNESCO with various actions, including the illumination of the Parliament building with the logo of the #WeRemember campaign.

I now ask you all to observe a minute’s silence in memory of the victims of the Holocaust.

(One minute silence)

Thank you.

(The text as sent by the House of Representatives)