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Wednesday, 20th September 2023
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
On the 26th of July
1946, in San Francisco, our predecessors pledged -
“to save succeeding generations
from the scourge of war, which twice in our lifetime has brought untold
sorrow to mankind”,
“to unite our strength to
maintain international peace and security,
[to] settle their international
disputes by peaceful means, and refrain … from the threat or use of force
against the territorial integrity or political independence of any state.”
These pledges were the promise
of our predecessors, bestowed upon us for the future.
The UN Charter, ladies and
gentlemen, is a promise, not a reality. If we are complacent in our actions,
the words are not worth the paper on which they are written.
The horrors of the Second World
War, which began in Europe and consumed the world, brought nations together.
We, assembled here today, must live up to the obligations prescribed in the
UN Charter, to proclaim -
Never again.
Make no mistake – we bear
responsibility to ensure the world does not drift into the horror of war.
That is our mandate.
Do we have the courage?
Do we have the resolve to make
peace our top priority, to honour the foundations of the United Nations and
to ensure its continued relevance?
Our predecessors harboured an
admirable sense of their own personal accountability to the future. I believe
it is that sense of personal responsibility, from the individual, that
underpins the idea and the reality of a United Nations throughout the world.
Our predecessors also knew that
the path to peace would be challenging. They had the resolve, the deep
belief, the knowledge that it would require the ability of all peoples to
come together, to make peace a reality. So that their children, and the
generations to come, so that our children today, would not be scarred by
another world war.
But they also had the greatest
of all impetuses. The world, the leaders that came before us, inherited
ashes, not institutions. They had no choice but to look to multilateralism,
to international law, respect for the sovereignty and the territorial integrity
of all states.
Today, as we stand on the
shoulders of our predecessors, we remain accountable to deliver on the vision
of peace that sparked the creation of this resilient Organisation. Will we be
worthy and equal to the challenge? Can we act with a sense of urgency, without
which, we, too, will fail.
Excellencies,
As a historian by training, I
believe adamantly that history serves as an invaluable compass, and as the
most valuable source of lessons.
More than seven decades
following the establishment of the United Nations, the war in Ukraine has
shaken the world. It reminds us that “Never again” is a rallying cry, a
sacred promise that is fragile, and one that we need to protect with all our
resolve.
Cyprus condemns in the
strongest terms any breach of international peace and security effected
through military action by any state, against the independence, sovereignty
and territorial integrity of another state. We stand on this instance of
violation of international law, and on every such instance, on the right side
of history.
Since the first day of the
aggression against Ukraine, the people of Cyprus – a third of them still
displaced as a result of foreign aggression against their own country – have
displayed solidarity, with deeds, not just words, to the people of Ukraine. We
do this because we remember. We do this because it is the right thing to do.
We call for the immediate
cessation of hostilities and encourage the parties to engage in constructive
dialogue and negotiation. The world must support this effort, not only
because history demands it, but also to ensure the world steps back from the
edge of a war that could reduce this institution to rubble.
Mr. President,
The invasion of Ukraine is not
the first instance that use of force was used against a sovereign nation in
Europe following the Second World War.
Just like in Ukraine, in Cyprus
the UN Charter and international law continue to be violated.
In 1974 Turkey invaded Cyprus,
and since then, 49 years on, it occupies European territory, and its people –
Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots – continue to suffer the consequences of
invasion, occupation, division. They are deprived of fundamental freedoms and
human rights.
Europe, which decades ago
witnessed the worst horrors humankind has ever committed against itself,
remains fractured as long as Cyprus is divided.
Born in 1973, only a few months
before Turkey invaded Cyprus, I have witnessed my people mourn, persevere,
rebuild, forever with a burning desire for peace and reunification. The
invasion violently displaced hundreds of thousands of Cypriots, and Turkey continues
to occupy approximately 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. The
families of missing persons desperately await information on the fate of
their loved ones. The enclaved stoically await the end of division.
One of the lessons we are
reminded of by the recent invasion of Ukraine is that in the absence of
lasting, viable peace, the resulting fragility can lead to destabilization,
with far reaching consequences, not just for the country concerned, but for
the region to which it belongs, and for the world at large.
Ukraine has exemplified, in the
darkest manner, that a threat to peace somewhere is a threat to peace
everywhere.
In the absence of a peace path
and process in Cyprus, there is a serious risk – and one that we have seen
materialize in the recent past - of further violations of international law,
which create instability, and with ramifications well beyond Cyprus.
We have witnessed the Turkish
military forces perpetrate further violations in Varosha, the fenced area of
Famagusta. Since 1974 Varosha has been held hostage and rendered a ghost
town, contrary to UN Security Council Resolutions that call for its return to
its lawful inhabitants, who left their livelihoods, their dreams and hopes
between those fences.
We have witnessed it in our
maritime zones, and we have witnessed it most recently in the buffer zone,
where attacks on UN peacekeepers by Turkish forces horrified and alerted us
once again to the urgency of peace in Cyprus.
That is why the resumption of
negotiations, firmly anchored on the agreed framework, is my absolute
priority. The current status quo cannot be the future of Cyprus. It cannot be
the future for Cypriots.
As President of Cyprus, I
believe in peaceful coexistence because, despite growing up in a divided
country, I also grew up in a country filled with hope of reunification, with
stories of all Cypriots living together in peace, united by the land they
shared.
The new generation of Cypriots
is also eager for peace. And this gives me hope and courage. Ahead of my
journey to New York, I received a plethora of messages from my Turkish
Cypriot compatriots, particularly from the younger generation, calling me to
exert every effort to reunify Cyprus.
My message from this podium to
my Turkish Cypriot compatriots, to all Cypriots, is that I hear their call
for peace, I understand their concerns and I assure them that I will spare no
effort to make our common dream of reunification and peace on our island a
reality. And I want to be able to tell them that the world, the United
Nations, the living words of the UN Charter, also hear their call for peace.
I stand before the General
Assembly for the first time, fully aware of the responsibility that has been
bestowed upon me, to do my utmost to safeguard the future of the Cypriot
people – Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike – who want to end the division
of their country, to co-exist and to co-create.
Working towards peace in Cyprus
is my absolute priority, and I want to take this opportunity to also send a
personal message to President Erdogan.
There is not, and there will
never be another basis for settlement of the Cyprus question other than that
dictated by the United Nations Security Council resolutions. Illegality
stemming from invasion, aggression and use of force cannot be recognized.
Cyprus and Turkey are
neighbours, bound by geography. Peace in Cyprus will not only send a
resounding message of peace in a region and a world that desperately needs
it. It will also change the geopolitical map of our neighbourhood, with a
ripple effect in Europe, the wider Eastern Mediterranean, and throughout
EU-Turkey relations. Gunboat diplomacy and strong-arm tactics belong to the
past. They are not the tools of visionary leaders. This is our time to bring
the UN Charter to life, a Charter for peace between and among us.
No one stands to gain from
conflict and division. We, and the generations that will come after us, stand
to gain from dialogue, from good neighbourly relations.
Mr. Erdogan, let us work
together, guided by a vision of peace. Let us build a brighter future for our
countries, through dialogue, and respect of international legality.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In this great hall, we all feel
the weight of history on our shoulders. The great women and men who have
given us this organization and institutions, expected us to strengthen them,
grow them, and to take personal responsibility for their future.
I am here today with clarity of
purpose and determination: the sole effective medium to address this risk of
instability generated by the absence of a peace path is to pave one, to
foster dialogue, through which positions and concerns of all sides can be
addressed and discussed in good faith.
I stand ready to negotiate
boldly and courageously on the Cyprus question, in good faith, always within
the agreed UN framework and in full respect of the relevant UN Security
Council Resolutions that call for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with
political equality, as defined by the relevant UN Security Council
Resolutions. At a time when international legality is under attack,
international law, the UN Security Council Resolutions must prevail.
I am committed to negotiating a
settlement that will safeguard the fundamental freedoms and human rights, the
interests of all my Cypriots compatriots – Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots,
Maronites, Armenians and Latins - all equal. A comprehensive settlement that
will allow them to prosper in coexistence and peace, free of anachronistic
dependencies and system of guarantees that have no place in a European
country.
That is why resumption of peace
negotiations based on the agreed framework, preserving the acquis of the
previous round of negotiations, is essential.
As the Security Council has
resolved, it is high time for the UN to become a driving force of dialogue,
by appointing, as a first step, an envoy on the Cyprus problem, to explore
and prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations.
The United Nations and its
Secretary General have the responsibility, prescribed in the UN Charter, to
act as catalysts for peace in Cyprus. In doing so, it can be facilitated by
the European Union, which also has the tools necessary and which has expressed
its commitment to deliver, so as to reunify its last divided member state.
Just like the United Nations, the European Union is also a project of peace.
The Union can and must act decisively, with all means at its disposal to
drive reunification of its last divided member state, and in doing so
contribute to peace in Europe, the wider Middle East, and indeed the world.
Distinguished delegates,
The theme of this year’s
General Assembly focuses on the 2030 Agenda and its Sustainable Development
Goals (SDGs) towards peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all.
The achievement of the SDGs requires universal efforts and transformative solutions.
Climate emergency and climate change know no borders.
Our own region, the Eastern
Mediterranean, is especially vulnerable in this regard. The raging wildfires
and floods during this summer are a somber reminder of the fact that we are
failing to act, at our own peril. We have all regretfully observed nature’s
wrath, from the storm in countries of our region and in countries such as
Libya where thousands so tragically lost their lives.
To this end, Cyprus is actively
participating in a new international Climate Change Initiative to address the
specific needs and challenges countries are facing in our neighbourhood to
advance mitigation actions. The Climate Ambition Summit taking place today is
a critical milestone in confirming our collective political will towards
achieving the transition to a climate-resilient global economy.
At the same time, recognizing
that human rights are essential for lasting peace and sustainable
development, we must ensure that they guide the solutions to our challenges.
The international human rights agenda is a priority policy for Cyprus, and it
is for this reason, with a particular sense of duty and responsibility, that
we announced our candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the period
2025-2027. As an EU member state, we are committed to action against
gender-based violence and we have also joined the Secretary-General’s Circle
of Leadership on the prevention of and response to sexual exploitation and
abuse in the United Nations.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In 1946, Winston Churchill
declared that the dangers and difficulties in establishing conditions of
freedom and democracy and permanently preventing war will not be removed by
closing our eyes to them, nor by a policy of appeasement to aggressors. What
is needed is real action and the longer this is delayed, the more difficult
it will be and the greater the dangers will become.
Cyprus is at the crossroads of
Europe and the Middle East, in a part of the world that is no stranger to
conflict and instability. We are, however, convinced that the Eastern
Mediterranean and the wider Middle East are changing the narrative of being a
region in turmoil. We can become a hub of stability, peace, and cooperation,
an exemplar of the change capable in the 21st century. Cyprus
seeks to act as a facilitator for this common vision and has come together
with its immediate neighbours – Egypt, Israel, Jordan, Lebanon, Palestine,
Greece – building a solid network of cooperation that is underpinned by a
vision to make the Mediterranean a sea of peace, cooperation and prosperity.
We shall continue on this path
of multilateralism anchored on respect for international legality, and we
call on all countries of the region that share these values to join us.
This is, after all, the essence
of the guiding principles that founded the United Nations 78 years ago.
Peace. I come before you today
asking for us all to work together toward peace. It is nothing new, or
ground-breaking. But it is world-changing, and we need to remind ourselves,
every day, that it is within our reach and responsibility.
Thank you for your attention.
EF/EP/SCH
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