Turkey has repeatedly threatened to colonize the outskirts of Famagusta in violation of Security Council resolutions and the 1987 resolution of the Commission on Human Rights, which explicitly condemns any attempt to settle any part of Varos by anyone other than its own. and calls for the immediate cessation of such activities, said Foreign Minister Nikos Christodoulidis.
Mr. Christodoulidis, who spoke at the High Level Section of the 43rd session of the United Nations Human Rights Council in Geneva, also referred to the human rights violations in Cyprus after the Turkish invasion of 1974, which still exist today.
According to him, "investing in educating young people on human rights is undoubtedly important in our efforts to successfully meet challenges." To this end, he said, the actions and dialogues that Cyprus will develop on the occasion of the 75th anniversary of the UN, "focus strongly on the participation of young representatives while at the same time emphasizing the importance of multilateral action in addressing global challenges."
The Minister of Foreign Affairs made a special reference to gender equality, noting that in Cyprus "we have decided to actively integrate the gender aspect into our foreign policy as a priority and in this context we have already begun to take substantial initiatives and actions that enhance respect. women's and girls' human rights at national and regional level ".
Regarding the "extremely worrying" situation as it develops in the Eastern Mediterranean, Mr. Christodoulidis said, among other things, that Cyprus ranks first among EU member states in the first applications for asylum in terms of population for the third year in a row.
Referring to the forthcoming annual report of the Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights on human rights in Cyprus, he said that the mandate of this report comes from the massive human rights violations as a result of the military invasion. in 1974 and the subsequent occupation by Turkey "which has since kept my country divided by force".
The same violations continue to this day, he added.
Almost 46 years later, the fate of half of the missing in Cyprus has not yet been determined, all Cypriots who were forcibly displaced by the occupying Turkish army remain refugees to this day and have not been allowed to return to their homes and property. the trapped are still living in extremely difficult conditions, the cultural heritage in the occupied part of the island which belongs to all Cypriots, is being looted and systematically destroyed, he noted.
In a special reference to Famagusta, he said that Turkey has repeatedly threatened to colonize the enclosed part of Famagusta in violation of relevant Security Council resolutions and the 1987 Commission resolution on human rights, which explicitly condemns any attempt to colonize any part of other than their residents, as illegal and calls for the immediate cessation of such activities.
Mr. Christodoulidis also referred to the fact that many people around the world continue to suffer from violations of their most basic human rights and freedoms.
"It is our collective duty to redouble our efforts to ensure that no one is left behind in our efforts to ensure the universal implementation of human rights," he said.
Source: KYPE
