Cyprus Foreign Minister met with European Ombudsman

The anticipated changes of the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty and the conference of the Ombudsmen of the EU member states were among the issues discussed at Monday’s meeting between the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Markos Kyprianou, and the European Ombudsman Nikiforos Diamantouros.

After the meeting, which was also attended by the Cyprus Ombudswoman Liana Nikolaou, the Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction at the meeting with Diamantouros, with whom he said he was acquainted from previous years.

“During the meeting we discussed various issues of common interest, the issues related to the duties and post of Mr Diamantouros, the possible or anticipated changes of the implementation of the Lisbon Treaty, as well as the Conference of the 27 European Ombudsmen, which is scheduled to take place next year,” he said.

Kyprianou added that the position of the Government and the Foreign Ministry in particular, “is to cooperate on the national and on the European level, because we are interested in the correct administration and in the promotion of the rights of the Cypriot and, by extension, of the European citizen”.

For his part, Diamantouros said that this is the second time he is officially visiting Cyprus, at the invitation of his Cypriot counterpart Liana Nikolaou.

“The aim of my visit is, now that there is a new leadership, to inform them on the work of the European Ombudsman and the rights that Cypriot citizens have under their second nationality, their European nationality. So, they have a second series of rights as European citizens, especially in view of the fact that with the new Lisbon Treaty, there will be rights for the citizens, which derive from the Charter of basic rights” he said, adding that “the Cypriot citizens, as European Citizens, can enjoy increased rights.”

He also said that the aim of his presence on the island is to inform the administration, the citizens, the ombudswoman, the judiciary and the mass media on the new prospects and to point out that every two years all the EU Ombudsmen organize meetings in which they discuss developments in the Acquis Communautaire and the best practices.

Diamantouros finally said that the EU Ombudsmen Conference will take place in Cyprus in 2009 and it is co-organised by the host country’s Ombudswoman and the European Ombudsman. He further noted that he looks forward to the presence of all Ombudsmen.