NICOSIA - Re-elected MEP Ioannis Kasoulides thanked the voters of the Democratic Rally and other parties who honoured him with their votes, on Sunday evening, after his proclamation as MEP. ''I would like to thank the 70,000 voters who honoured me with their confidence in this new record of votes of preference,'' Kasoulides told CNA and assured that he would meet their expectations. Kasoulides noted that he had received the mandate ''to work from within the Parliament and outside the Parliament to turn our Cyprus into a truly modern European country, free of occupation
Re-elected MEP Kyriacos Triantaphyllides, speaking on Sunday evening, after his proclamation as MEP, said the Cyprus problem ''remains the priority on our agenda.'' ''I am one of the two, along with Mr. Kasoulides, who are going back, so we have an agenda we began with our previous term. The Cyprus problem, as always, remains our priority. Thus, we will continue to monitor the course of Turkey through the reports we discuss at the Parliament,'' Triantaphyllides told CNA, reminding Turkey's progress report in December. Referring to other issues on the agenda of his political group in the European Parliament, Triantaphyllides noted social and labour issues, as well as the financial crisis, energy, the environment, and the Constitutional Treaty. Asked about the high rate of abstention in Cyprus and the other EU member states, Triantaphyllides said it is a matter that should be of concern to all, adding that ''the whole of the political leadership should examine the issue.''
The newly elected Disy MEP Eleni Theocharous assured after the Chief Returning Officer announced the names of Cyprus’ six representatives at the European parliament that she would make every effort to serve the best interests of the people of Cyprus and every citizen in particular. Theocharous thanked the people for the confidence in her and her election. She also reassured that she would make every effort to promote primarily in the European Parliament the substance of the Cyprus problem which is, as she pointed out, the Turkish occupation of Cyprus’ northern part. “I will try in every way to help the effort for a Cyprus settlement in the best way possible to the benefit of the Cypriot people,” Theoharous said.
Newly elected Takis Hadjigeorgiou, said the first aim of the six MEPs from Cyprus, given the upcoming progress report on Turkey, should be ''to raise as many obstacles as possible against Turkey if it does not prove its will to solve the Cyprus problem.'' Hadjigeorgiou said that if this does not happen, ''we will not manage to create alliances in the EU, which are necessary, because without alliances you are led to isolation and isolation brings defeat.'' He noted that ''our country has very serious problems, rooted in many decades, which cannot be solved easily,'' and pointed out the need for unity.
Newly elected MEP Kyriacos Mavronicholas, sent a message to the supporters of the Movement of Social Democrats EDEK that ''we are present''. He noted that all six candidates from EDEK ''fought a great battle and achieved the result we wanted.'' ''We will work to utilise the European Parliament and strengthen the Socialist party,'' he said, adding that ''all together, as we have started, we finish this task and proceed with the future.''
Newly elected Antigoni Papadopoulou said she has been given the opportunity to represent Cyprus at the European Parliament as a clear Cypriot voice. Papadopoulou said she would represent ''the voice of the struggling Cypriot Hellenism for the restoration of violated rights, the refugee woman, who lost her house, her livelihood and her property by force in 1974 (during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus).” She noted that her priority would be her active participation in committees with a purpose to draw European funds, adopt good practices from the European Parliament with an aim to utilise European programmes, upgrade the quality of life in Cyprus and support the weaker, middle and poor classes of the population. ''We have been given the opportunity, for the first time, to have two women in the European Parliament,'' Papadopoulou said, adding that ''this indicates the effort the women's movement has made in our country over the past years.''