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- Ελληνικά
Defence Minister Michael Yiorgallas participated in the proceedings of the United Nations (UN) Ministerial Meeting on Peacekeeping Missions, which took place on 5 and 6 December in Accra, the capital of Ghana.
In his intervention at the Summit, the Minister of Defence, in the context of the Thematic Section: "Necessary Conditions for the Success of a Peacekeeping Mission", among others, he stressed that "The illegal occupation of Cypriot territory and the continuous provocations by the occupying army against the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, as well as the recent Turkish violations within the buffer zone make the presence of the UN Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus absolutely necessary for the maintenance of peace and stability".
The Defence Minister also underlined: "Cyprus supports the work of UNFICYP and provides access to its facilities and infrastructure to support the training of its personnel", concluding that "The Republic of Cyprus will remain a staunch supporter of the United Nations (UN) peacekeeping operations, recognizing their valuable contribution to the maintenance of peace and stability".
With the aim of strengthening UN peacekeeping missions, the Defence Minister announced that Cyprus undertakes to organise three rounds of training for UN peacekeepers on demining, enhancing women's participation in peacekeeping missions and conducting search and rescue operations.
In the margins of the Summit, the Minister of Defence held bilateral contacts with his counterparts, delegations of other countries and UN officials. Yiorgallas briefed his interlocutors on the provocations of the occupation regime in the buffer zone, the unprovoked attacks on UN personnel by the Turkish occupation forces, as well as developments in the Middle East, focusing on the Cyprus Government's initiative to create a maritime corridor to channel humanitarian aid to Gaza.
In particular, the Minister of Defence had a meeting with a delegation of UN officials consisting of UN Deputy Secretaries General Jean-Pierre Lacroix, Catherine Pollard and Catherine Pollard. Atul Khare, and the UN Advisor for Military Affairs, General Birame Diop. Yiorgallas held meetings with the Ministers of Defence of Ghana, Greece and Nigeria, as well as with the Ministers of State for Defence of India, the Philippines, Serbia and Armenia, and with the Heads of Delegations of China, Egypt and Brazil.
(GG/AF)
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