Cyprus is in close cooperation with stakeholders in order to contribute to the next steps towards providing humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip, through both the sea and land corridors, Minister of Foreign Affairs Constantinos Kombos said in the context of a discussion on the Middle East during the Foreign Affairs Council (FAC) of the EU held in Brussels on Monday.
The agenda of the FAC included the ongoing Russian aggression against Ukraine, the situation in the Middle East and digital diplomacy issues. The session also included a discussion in relation to Hungary’s stance on the Russian invasion of Ukraine, and whether the High Representative should convene the regular informal meeting of Foreign Ministers (Gymnich) in Budapest in August.
According to a PIO press release, during the discussion on the Middle East, the Minister reiterated Cyprus’ call for an immediate ceasefire and the immediate and unconditional release of all hostages, and stressed the need to avoid further escalation and destabilization i
n the region.
Commenting on the deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza, Kombos underlined the need to ensure a rapid, safe and unhindered flow of humanitarian aid to the territory. To this end, he said, Cyprus is working closely with directly interested stakeholders and partners in contributing to the next steps for the delivery of humanitarian aid through the Cyprus Sea Corridor and additionally through land crossings.
During the discussion on Ukraine, Kombos expressed Cyprus’ solidarity with the country, condemned the Russian attacks on civilian infrastructure in Ukraine which resulted in civilian casualties, and called for the full respect of International Humanitarian Law.
Kombos stressed that Cyprus, itself a victim of illegal invasion and continued occupation of its territory, which is EU territory, supports the provision of assistance to Ukraine, and referred to the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, calling it a tragic day for Cyprus. He added that Turkey’s continuing policy
of consolidating the faits accomplis of the invasion and the ongoing occupation is reprehensible.
The Foreign Minister also briefed his counterparts on Turkey’s efforts during the recent informal Summit of the Organisation of Turkic States to promote the secessionist entity in Cyprus in violation of international law, according to the press release.
On the sidelines of the FAC, the Minister had a bilateral meeting with his Dutch counterpart Caspar Veldkamp.
Photo exhibition on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion
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In the afternoon, the Foreign Minister attended the inauguration of a photo exhibition at the Permanent Representation of Cyprus to the European Union, on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion. The exhibition consists of photographs from the archives of the Press and Information Office, some of which are being made public for the first time, and will be presented at various diplomatic missions of Cyprus abroad, starting with Brussels.
“Thi
s is not just a moment in our history. This is, unfortunately, our daily reality” he said in his address, noting that the images in the exhibition “constitute the mosaic of the collective memory of the devastation and of the suffering of our people” and “a reminder of the Turkish barbarism and aggression”.
The faces that dominate the exhibition, “the faces of the summer of 1974”, as Kombos said, “remain the unshakable point of reference for every Cypriot’. Speaking of the thousands dead, hundred thousands displaced, the enclaved and the missing, Kombos noted that ‘this is our reality’, referring also to the destruction of cultural sites, illegal settlement and selling off of Greek Cypriot properties ‘on an industrial scale’.
He stressed that a clear message needs to be given that ‘the Turkish occupation must end’ and that the goal is the reunification of Cyprus ‘always and exclusively on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as it is defined by the relevant UN Security Counc
il Resolutions, and with full respect of the principles and values of our EU’ as ‘this is the only acceptable way’.
‘The aggressor, every aggressor, hopes that time will make the resolve fade. Believes that power will rewrite international legality. Thus, bit by bit, eroding the foundations of the international order’ the Minister added.
He pointed out that even in terms of realpolitik, ‘the alternative to the UN framework will be a disaster for Cyprus, an EU Member State, and will create a very dangerous precedent for the international community’, recalling that ‘there are aggressors elsewhere in Europe as we speak’.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to
assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency