STATEMENT BY HIS EXCELLENCY THE PRESIDENT OF THE REPUBLIC OF CYPRUS MR. NICOS ANASTASIADES
AT THE GENERAL DEBATE OF THE 72ND SESSION OF THE GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE UNITED NATIONS
New York, 21 September 2017
Mr. President,
Your Excellencies,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the outset, I wish to convey my Government's congratulations to Mr. Miroslav Lajcak
(^ÿ,TÿaK) on his election as President of the General Assembly for its 72nd Session and
assure of our unwavering support on his mission.
At the same time, I congratulate, once again, the Secretary - General, Mr. Antbnio Guterres,
on the assumption of his duties since January 1st 2017. The government of Cyprus and I
personally have full faith and confidence in his abilities and vision.
To this end, we stand ready to provide any assistance deemed necessary towards the
shared goal of promoting the values and principles of the UN in a period of great
uncertainty and instability.
Your Excellencies,
2017 has been another turbulent year. To name a few; terrorism, regional conflicts, forced
migration, the alarming effects of climate change and humanitarian crises are realities
which have placed enormous strain on our people and the environment.
Human nature drives us to aim for the best, for us and the generations to follow: for the
preservation of our planet; for a peaceful resolution to conflicts; for an end to terrorism and
extremism; for actions to prevent natural disasters; for joint efforts to alleviate the
immeasurable human suffering experienced around the world.
There is only one way to achieve this: Multilateralism. We stand here, as world leaders, to
pledge our determination and commitment to a better world, through cooperation and joint
actions.
It is only through collective efforts that we can address crises like the current one with
North Korea, which threatens the resilience of our global non-proliferation and
disarmament regimes, as well as the peace and security architecture of the region and
beyond.
International, multilateral cooperation is also vital in dealing with the scourge of terrorism.
Terrorist attacks have unfortunately become commonplace in our world, from Baghdad to
Kabul, from Paris to Cairo, from Barcelona to London, where our cities and citizens have
become the targets of cowardly acts of asymmetric aggression.
Parallel to adopting enhanced security measures, it is essential to prevent and to counter
radicalization and violent extremism within our societies, through education, dialogue,
economic growth and social inclusion.
Your Excellencies, Mr. President,
There is no security without development; and there is no development without security.
Enhancing the resilience of our societies is a key aspect of our multilateral endeavors and
in this respect our determination to implement the 2030 Agenda must remain high on our
list of priorities,
Sustainable development is at the heart of dealing with the root causes of forced migration
which has, for the last two years, dominated the global agenda and not unjustly.
This crisis is putting pressure not only on our governments but also on our societies, while
at the same time changing the way political dialogue is carried out. However overwhelming
the situation is, we must not lose sight of the big picture, which is none other than the need
for solidarity and burden sharing.
Mr. President,
All the above, and even more challenges we face, point to one direction: we need a just,
effective, and efficient global governance system.
In this respect, we are here to renew our commitment to a global order based on
international law, with the principles of the UN Charter at its core; a global order which
ensures that peace, security, human rights and sustainable development remain the
highest values which we undertake to preserve and uphold.
Cyprus believes that the reform priorities that the Secretary General has set are essential in
ensuring that multilateralism, at a time of growing skepticism and isolationist tendencies,
remains relevant and effective.
The three pillars of reform, in distinct yet parallel and complementary processes will, if
successful, provide us with a changed narrative as to the ability to prevent crises before
they erupt; reinforcing and enhancing peace-keeping and peace - building, humanitarian
assistance and long-term development and growth.
Mr. President,
The theme of this year's General Assembly," Focusing on people: striving for peace and a
decent life for all on a sustainable planet", is extremely pertinent for my country which still
suffers from the scourges of war and its ongoing violent division.
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In this regard, it is our strong opinion that the most vital pillar to achieving inter-state,
regional and global peace is through respecting and ensuring the full and unhindered
independency, territorial integrity and sovereignty of each and every member-state of the
United Nations.
A pillar which constitutes one of the most indispensable provisions of the Charter of the
United Nations and the most basic rule towards prohibiting foreign interventions to the
territory, the exclusive economic zone or the internal affairs of an independent and
sovereign member-state of the UN.
It is only through abiding by this norm that we can avoid inter-state conflicts or bloody
internal clashes which in turn establish the conditions for protracted destabilization,
violence and uncertainty.
One of the countries which unfortunately still endures the consequences of the blatant
violation of the fundamental principles of the UN is my country, the Republic of Cyprus,
which since the 1974 military invasion of Turkey still remains under its occupation.
The pretext for the invasion was the restoration of the constitutional order, following the
attempt for a coup d'ÿtat against the President of the Republic by the Greek military Junta.
i deliberately referred to a pretext, since, instead of restoring the constitutional order,
Turkey occupied 37% of the territory of Cyprus, forcibly displacing from their ancestral
homeland more than a third of the Greek Cypriot community, with thousands murdered,
while since 1974 more than a thousand Greek Cypriots are still missing.
With the same use of force, all our Turkish Cypriot compatriots were compelled by Turkey
to relocate from the areas controlled by the Government of Cyprus in which they used to
reside peacefully, to the areas occupied by Turkey.
in the same context and via the continuous presence of over forty thousand Turkish troops
and thousands of implanted settlers in a conscious effort to alter the demographic
character of the island, Turkey established an illegal entity which is under its absolute
political, economic, cultural and religious control and dominance.
Mr. President, Your Excellencies,
it is not my aim to engage in a blame-game. On the contrary, I truly wish I could be in a
position to inform that my vision to reaching a settlement, as I have repeatedly conveyed
from this podium, had materialised.
Unfortunately, despite our constructive stance, our tireless and unwavering efforts and the
progress achieved, this new round of talks which was launched in May 2015 and climaxed
in July 2017 at Crans Montana, has reached a deadlock.
A deadlock which is attributed exclusively to the intransigent stance of Turkey which,
instead of being positively predisposed to establishing a truly independent, sovereign and
normal state, through its proposals aimed at reducing Cyprus to a Turkish protectorate.
The above-mentioned would be considered as an exaggeration if I failed to substantiate my
reference as I will now immediately proceed to do so.
Mr. President, Your Excellencies,
In 1960, with the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, amongst others, under the Treaty
of Guarantee Turkey, Great Britain and Greece undertook to guarantee the independence,
territorial integrity and security of Cyprus.
In this regard, allow me to stress that the exploitation of the said provision by Turkey has
regrettably ied to the pain and sufferings that the people of Cyprus, Greek and Turkish
Cypriots, have and are still enduring; consequence of the unacceptabie status quo.
It is for this exact reason that since resuming negotiations and in order to establish a
normal and sovereign State, from the very beginning we set the goal of terminating the
Treaty of Guarantee and the rightof intervention, as well as agreeing to a sunset clause for
the full withdrawal of foreign troops.
A principled-position which the UN Secretary - General himself also shared as an
indispensable element in the efforts to reaching a settlement, as per his statement on June
04, 2017, and I quote:
"Progress in this chapter - meaning the Chapter of Security and Guarantees - is an
essential element in reaching an overall agreement and in building trust between the two
communities in relation to their future security".
On the basis both of the observed progress in the bi-communal dialogue and the aforesaid
evÿiluation of the UN Secretary - General, on June 28, 2017 the multilateral Conference on
Cyprus commenced with great expectations.
During the negotiations which followed, the UN Secretary - General, in an effort to
positively support the whole process, presented an outline of six fundamental thematic
topics which consisted on the one hand theChapter of Security and Guarantees, including
the withdrawal of foreign troops, and on the other hand issues related with the internal
aspects of the Cyprus Problem.
Achieving convergences on the UN Secretary - General's framework would have led to
reaching a strategic agreement, thus, injecting a new dynamic impetus in the process with
valid hopes that an overall settlement was feasible.
Acting in full conformity with the outline of the UN Secretary - General, ! submitted credible
and realistic proposals which effectively addressed the sensitivities and concerns of both
communities.
Proposals taking into consideration, based, as also the framework of the UN Secretary-
General did, in the capacity of the Republic of Cyprus as a member - state of the EU and
the UN.
In stark contradiction to the framework of the UN Secretary - General and the positions of
the other two guarantor powers, Turkey, adopting an inflexible stance, insisted on the
following:
- Maintaining the Treaty of Guarantee and the right of intervention, as well as a
permanent presence of troops.
Mr= President, Your Excellencies,
During his speech at the General Assembly, the President of Turkey, Mr. Tayip Erdogan,
claimed that the unsuccessful outcome of negotiations at Crans Montana was attributable
to the incomprehensible position of the Greek Cypriot side.
In response, I would like to ask the Turkish President:
(a) Is it incomprehensible to aspire to establish an independent and sovereign
State, without any foreign guarantees, any right of intervention by a third country and free
from the presence of occupation troops?
(b) Is it irrational to advocate establishing a normal State in which all decisions will
be taken only by its citizens, free from foreign dependencies?
(c) Is it unreasonable for an EU member-state to efficiently and effectively
participate in the decision-making of the Union?
(d) Is it unfounded to envision terminating the anachronistic Treaty of Guarantee
and establishing a robust system of security, based on the Charter of the UN and the
Treaties of the EU and theCouncil of Europe?
(e) Is it against any established principle for the UN, as well as the relevant
institutions of the EU, to ensure and safeguard the smooth and secure implementation of
the provisions of the settlement?
(f) Concurrently, is it a paradox to reject Turkey's insistence that it should assume
the said role?
(g) Does any constitution of a Federal State provide that for every decision at a
Federal level, at least one positive vote by the members of the state is required? When
especially one of the members of the Federation is controlled by a third country?
(h) Finally, could anyone uphold that reaching a settlement based on the proposals
of Turkey would have led to establishing a functional and viable State?
Mr. President, Your Excellencies,
Despite our disappointment, what I wish to emphatically stress and convey is that the
vision of the people of Cyprus is none other than ending the unacceptable status quo and
establishing a federal state which would ensure to the generations of Greek and Turkish
Cypriots, conditions of stability for a safe, prosperous and peaceful future.
A State free from any foreign interventions and dependencies; "a normal state", as the UN
Secretary - General very correctly stated. A State led by Cypriots for Cypriots.
In this regard and contrary to the statements by Turkish officials, it is my intention during
tomorrow's meeting with the UN Secretary - General to convey our readiness to
immediately resume negotiations, in accordance with his framework and always in line with
the relevant UN Resolutions.
Within this context, it is widely acknowledged that for a new Conference on Cyprus to
reconvene and in order to avoid a repetition of shortcomings of the past, there should be
thorough and solid preparation and strong political will and determination by all interested
parties and stakeholders, so as to ensure that this time deliberations will lead to a positive
outcome.
And in this effort, I have no doubt that the UN Secretary- General and the UN Permanent
Members of the Security Council will offer us their support and help.
In parallel, at this critical juncture, instead of unilateral actions which negatively affect the
aim of moving the process forward, mutually agreed Confidence Building Measures which
are in line with the UN Security - Council Resolutions and the UN Secretary - General
reports, such as the return and resettlement of Varosha to its rightful and lawful
inhabitants, would be a game changer in creating a climate conducive to resuming
negotiations with the aim of reaching a comprehensive settlement.
An aim which would be further reinforced through progress to the humanitarian issue of
the missing persons. To this end, I call on Turkey to fully co-operate in order to resolve this
tragic issue. With this opportunity, I also urge all countries which might hold information to
open their archives in order to support our efforts to giving an end to this tragic aspect of
the Cyprus Problem.
Mr. President, Your Excellencies,
In concluding, ! yet again urge Turkey and our Turkish Cypriot compatriots to realize that it
is only through mutual respect and compromises and not obsolete fixations to failed
practices that we will achieve a viable and lasting settlement.
A settlement which should leave neither winners nor losers and fully respect and address
the sensitivities and concerns of both communities.
This is the only way for Cyprus to fully utilize its potential and exploit its unique
geographical position.
This is my vision.
Thank You for your attention.
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