Foreword of the President of the European Parliament on the occasion of the 20th anniversary of the accession of Cyprus to the EU It is my pleasure to introduce this album of pictures, presenting images of 20 years of Cyprus in Europe. The story of Europe is yet unwritten, but in the past two decades of EU membership, Cyprus has played a key role in the chapters that have seen us going from strength to strength. Those early chapters that have shown the power of our European Union to make people more prosperous, safer and more secure. In our Europe, we see no old and no new States, no big nor small. Every nation, every region, every person has an important role to play in a relationship based on trust. We are not all identical, but Europe is United in Diversity. That is our strength as well as our motto. Europe has helped transform Cyprus and Cyprus has transformed the EU. Some of the following 137 photographs document how EU membership has changed the lives of Cypriots. A wide variety of projects funded by the EU across the island can be seen in the publication. We have made steps forward. We know that we can do more. In the EU, we know that we are better, stronger, safer, when we act together. 20 years of EU membership has allowed Cyprus to prosper and become a bastion of European values, of democracy, an example of resilience and of how to stare down impossible odds but still come out stronger. It has made all of Europe stronger. These photographs - as much as the people of Cyprus - tell an inspiring story, and the future of this island nation will inspire more. Roberta Metsola President of the European Parliament
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