OSCE PA President Visits Cyprus, Middle East

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OSCE PA President Visits Cyprus, Middle East

Visit to Cyprus

President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organisation for the Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE), Greek MP Petros Efthymiou, while on a three-day visit to Nicosia, said he was confident that the Cyprus EU rotating presidency which begins in the second half of 2012, will be crowned with success.

Efthymiou who served as Greece’s Education Minister, between 2000 and 2004, met with the country’s Minister of Education and Culture, Giorgos Demosthenous, and was also received by President of the Republic of Cyprus Demetris Christofias and Foreign Minister Erato Kozakou-Markoullis.

Visit to Israel, Palestinian Authority

On February 12-14, Efthymiou visited Israel and the Palestinian Authority.

In Jerusalem, Efthymiou pushed for greater OSCE activity from Israeli parliamentarians, aiming to encourage peaceful dialogue between Palestinian and Israeli leaders amid changing dynamics in the region. Hosted by the Israeli Knesset and Speaker Reuven Rivlin, Efthymiou also met with Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, and many members of the Israeli Parliament as well as diplomats in Jerusalem.

In Ramallah, Efthymiou held a series of meetings focused on peace in the Middle East and economic development in the Palestinian Territories. "The Parliamentary Assembly supports a two-state solution, guaranteeing the security of the state of Israel and an independent Palestinian state," Efthymiou said, adding that "in order to be viable, the solution must be just and fair."

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