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New York, 28 October 2022
Cyprus fully subscribes to the
statement of the European Union and would like to add a few additional
remarks.
At the outset, allow me to
thank President Donoghue for her introduction of this year’s report of the
International Court of Justice (ICJ) (A/77/4) and to welcome the high level
of activity of the Court during the reporting period that includes the
handing down of four judgments and fifteen orders, as well as the seizure of
four new contentious cases. During this reporting period, cases submitted to
the Court have involved a wide range of issues, including territorial and
maritime delimitation, violations of sovereign rights and maritime spaces,
human rights and international humanitarian law, genocide, reparation for
internationally wrongful acts, environmental protection, and more generally
the interpretation and application of international treaties and conventions.
As stipulated in the report, the geographical spread of the cases brought
before the Court and the diversity of their subject matter illustrate the
universal and general character of the Court’s jurisdiction.
We commend the Court for the
steps taken to return to its pre-pandemic working methods, including a return
to in-person and hybrid public hearings and for the private meetings of the
Court, with effect from 1 June 2022.
Cyprus is a strong supporter of
the Court as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and has full
confidence in its impartiality and effectiveness. As a country that cherishes
international law and effective multilateralism, Cyprus adheres to the
principles of the Court and attaches great importance to all peaceful means
of dispute settlement pursuant to Articles 2(3) and 33 of the UN Charter. I
would like to reiterate that my country recognized the compulsory
jurisdiction of the Court in 1988 in accordance with article 36 of the ICJ
Statute and we strongly encourage all Member States to do the same.
The contribution of the Court’s
jurisprudence on the protection of the principles of the Charter of the
United Nations, especially as regards to the development of the concept of
the crime of aggression and the prohibition of the use of force, cannot be
overstated. Furthermore, we note the fact that the ICJ has seized with
several maritime delimitation disputes which are governed by UNCLOS which
forms customary international law, and as President Donoghue noted in her
speech for the 40th anniversary of UNCLOS recently, the jurisprudence play an
important role in identifying and solidifying the rules that apply not only
to States Parties to UNCLOS, but also to those States that are not party to
the Convention.
I take this opportunity to
underscore that my country has on several occasions expressed its readiness
to engage in negotiations with any relevant country, with a view to reaching
a peaceful settlement in good faith of any maritime dispute in the Eastern
Mediterranean, in full respect of international law, including the settling
of any such dispute before the ICJ.
Finally, this year’s reporting
period was marked by the tragic loss of the Honorable Judge Antônio Augusto
Cançado Trindade, one of the Court’s most towering figures, a prolific scholar
and jurist who will be sorely missed. The election to fill the vacancy in the
ICJ caused by the irredeemable loss of Judge Trindade will be held in the
General Assembly and the Security Council in a few days. In this regard,
Cyprus would like to reiterate the importance of selecting the most prominent
jurists of high merit with international recognition, from all regions of the
world and from diverse legal traditions, to serve as ICJ judges.
I thank you.
(EP/ECHR)
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