Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA)  

The House of Representatives became a member of the then Association of Asian Parliaments for Peace (AAPP) in 2001, seeking to develop further its relations with parliaments of Asian countries, on the basis of common principles and aspirations. According to the UN geographical distribution, Cyprus belongs to the region of West Asia.

Following the Final Declaration of its 7th General Assembly in Tehran, in November 2006, AAPP was renamed to Asian Parliamentary Assembly (APA). The main objectives of the Assembly are the promotion of peace and democracy, the further strengthening of relations between Asian parliaments and the unification of the Asian region in the economic, political and social fields.

The APA consists of 44 member – parliaments and 14 observer – parliaments. The number of seats and equivalent votes for each parliament has been determined on the basis of the population of the country that it represents. 

The House of Representatives participates to the APA with a two-member delegation consisting of Mr. Nicos Tornaritis, head (DISY) and Mr. Yiorgos Loukaides (AKEL – Left – New Forces).

The General Assembly (Plenary Meeting) is the supreme authority, which determines the policy and management of the APA. Other bodies are the Executive Council and the Permanent Secretariat, based in Tehran and headed by the Secretary-General. The term of office of Assembly officials covers the period between the Annual Meetings. The presidency of the Assembly changes every two years and is taken over by the Speaker of the Parliament of the country that is hosting the Plenary Meeting. The Plenary, which meets at the end of each year, is preceded by a meeting of the Executive Council. The APA has four Standing Committees: Committee on Political Affairs, Committee on Economic and Sustainable Development, Committee on Social and Cultural Affairs and the Committee on Budget and Planning. 

In June 2018, the House of Representatives hosted a Meeting on the Standing Committee on Economic and Sustainable Development, following the election of the Head of the Cyprus delegation, Mr. Nicos Tornaritis, to the presidency of the said committee. In this capacity, Mr. Tornaritis also held the position of one of the four APA Vice -Presidents. The content of the meetings of the Standing Committees is reflected in relevant resolutions that are forwarded for approval to the Plenary of the Assembly. 

Moreover, a meeting of representatives of APA member – parliaments takes place in the sidelines of the regular Summits of the Interparliamentary Union, in Geneva.

Website: www.asianparliament.org