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Dear Minister,
Dear Riad,
It is a great
pleasure to welcome you to Cyprus.
This is the fifth time we are
meeting in the last six months. The last time that we met was three weeks ago
in Brussels.
Today’s bilateral meeting
focused on the developments in the Middle East. We have been briefed by His
Excellency as regards the current situation.
Before going to that, I would
like to make a point about part of the discussions which was on the
developments regarding the Cyprus Problem and the arrival of the Personal
Envoy of the United Nations (UN) Secretary-General. I would like to publicly
once again express our intention to work closely together with the Personal
Envoy in order to break the deadlock and reach a stage where we are back to
substantive negotiations for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political
equality, as provided in the relevant UN Security Council resolutions.
As I have mentioned, it is
understandable that our discussions were dominated by the developments in the
Middle East.
We agree that the unfolding
situation in our region deteriorates daily, and that we are experiencing not
just another chapter of the long-standing conflict. Instead, we are
witnessing a transformative series of events that have regional but also
global implications.
Four points in order to clarify
what comprises the consistent approach of the Republic of Cyprus:
Firstly, all civilians,
non-combatants, and civilian infrastructures must be fully protected and
respected in line with international law, including international
humanitarian law.
This is the underlying,
defining and fundamental principle governing all conflicts. There is no room
for derogation on this.
Accordingly, and given the
gravity of the situation on the ground, we echo the multiple calls for
restraint and upholding the sanctity of life. Any move in Rafah, which hosts
1.4 million people, most of them displaced, will have catastrophic
consequences that would be irreversible.
Secondly, Cyprus has
consistently said that the immediate and unconditional release of all the
hostages is instrumental to ending this conflict. We hope that the intensive
negotiations towards this end will soon be successful.
It is also important to
remember that Hamas, a terrorist group, does not represent the Palestinian
people. Their acts on October the 7th are condemned without reservation and
are not in any way to be associated with the Palestinian cause for
self-determination.
Thirdly, we are deeply
concerned by the spread of the conflict to other areas, which could lead to a
regional spillover with unprecedented consequences.
We condemn the continued
settler violence in the West Bank, which undermines the prospects of a viable
diplomatic way out of the crisis.
Fourthly, the only sustained
way forward is the revival of the Middle East Peace Process and the
reemergence of the political horizon, on the basis of the two-state solution,
in line with the UN Security Council resolutions.
In this context, we need to
maximize our outreach and efforts in order to allow the implementation of
this very framework.
It is also recalled that
Cyprus, along with the majority of European Union (EU) member states, has
voted for the General Assembly resolution which called for an immediate
humanitarian ceasefire.
Furthermore, we also talked
in-depth about the importance of getting more humanitarian aid to the people
in Gaza.
In this context, it is recalled
that Cyprus offered a financial contribution of 1.1 million euros and also
donated 10 tonnes of medical aid to the Gaza Strip in the past few weeks, and
more is under way in 2024.
We agree that the escalating
humanitarian needs, call for a scaled up, unhindered flow of aid.
We fully support the Security
Council mandate of the UN Special Coordinator Ms Sigrid Kaag, who was in
Cyprus last week. We will continue to work closely with her.
We are committed to doing our
part to increase humanitarian assistance. In this context, we are in close
cooperation and will continue to talk with the Palestinian side in order to
make possible the increase of humanitarian aid to Gaza.
It is important to once again
state the obvious: Cyprus rejects, in the most absolute terms, the
displacement of Palestinians from Gaza.
Dear Riad, I would like to
thank you again for the productive exchange and I extend a very warm welcome
to you in Cyprus.
(MF/GS/IA)
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