Provocative and unacceptable intervention by Turkey at the 3rd Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNGEGN) in New York
[/P]It took place in New York, from 1 to 5 May 2023, the 3rd Session of the United Nations Group of Experts on the Standardization of Geographical Names (UNGEGN). This meeting is held every two years at the UN headquarters.
Mr. Andreas Hadjiraftis, Chairman of the Cyprus Standing Committee for the Standardization of Geographical Names (SCGN), among others, presented a progress report on the work done in Cyprus in the last two years regarding the standardization of geographical names.
Mr. Andreas Hadjiraftis, Chairman of the Cyprus Standing Committee for the Standardization of Geographical Names (SCGN), among others, presented a progress report on the work done in Cyprus in the last two years regarding the standardization of geographical names. A presentation and discussion followed. Mr. Hadjiraftis also made two additional presentations on issues related to geographical names and took part in a panel discussion.
The representative of Turkey, once again tried to politicize the content of the work of the Summit by reading a statement in which, among other things, he questioned the name of the Republic of Cyprus, calling it the "Greek Cypriot Settlement" and saying that it does not represent the Turkish Cypriots. In addition, Turkey's statement referred to a presidential decree which includes maps for the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. These maps show new illegal Turkish maritime names and claims which affect both Greece and Cyprus. In addition, in one of the maps included in the decree, there is a map of Cyprus in which the name of the pseudo-state is mentioned.
Mr. Hadjiraftis, taking the floor, reacted strongly to the statement of the Turkish representative, called on the Turkish delegation to respect the names of the UN member states and said that as a full member of this forum, he demands that the correct name of the Republic of Cyprus be used.
In addition, Mr. Hadjiraftis made the following remarks:
"The international community has no doubt about the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus and the fact that this sovereignty extends over the entire island. A significant part of the territory of Cyprus has remained occupied since 1974 and the illegal entity established by Turkey was immediately condemned by the Security Council in resolutions 545 (1983) and 550 (1984). The part of Cyprus militarily occupied by Turkey will always remain an integral part of the Republic of Cyprus. In this regard, the statement by the Turkish delegation is false in substance and unacceptable.
We call on the Turkish delegation to respect the technical nature of the UN Summit on the Standardization of Geographical Names and to refrain from any attempt to politicize its work and discussions. We also call on Turkey to respect the sovereignty, unity, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus and also to respect the Charter of the United Nations. In fact, the only aspect of the Cyprus problem that is relevant in the context of the work of the Summit is that Turkey has illegally and arbitrarily changed more than 35,000 geographical names in the occupied area of Cyprus, trying to erase its long-standing identity, character and cultural heritage.
It is also recalled that thousands of Greek Cypriot properties in the northern occupied part of Cyprus are currently being illegally exploited in violation of the owners' rights and without their consent. The owners of these properties were forcibly displaced in 1974 as a consequence of the Turkish invasion and subsequent occupation.
Furthermore, the Republic of Cyprus rejects the content of Turkish Presidential Decree No. 6188 of 7 October 2022, referred to in the Turkish Report under agenda item 4(a). The decree contains an inaccurate and unacceptable map of Cyprus with many incorrect and illegally depicted geographical names in the land area and maritime zones of Cyprus. We would like to reiterate that the Government of the Republic of Cyprus remains the only competent and legitimate authority to make any decisions regarding the use of these geographical names."
Finally, Mr. Hatziraftis requested that his statement be reflected in the official records of the Summit.
Hatziraftis' intervention is also available in video format (Point 1:59:20) from the UN website (WN Web TV). Turkey's statement was made at 1:45:00.
Note.: A statement was also made by Greece at 2:03:33
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