[PIO] Participation of Mr Kyriakos Hatzigiannis in a session on the protection of people in conflict, in the framework of the 21st Autumn Meeting of

The work of the 21st Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE JPA) continued today in Yerevan.

The Vice-President of the Assembly, Mr. Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, in a discussion on the protection of minorities and people affected by conflict, stressed the need to ensure the resilience of democratic institutions and processes and the protection of human rights and fundamental freedoms as enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act. OSCE noted that Azerbaijan's unacceptable attack on Armenians in the region, which constitutes a flagrant violation of international law and the 9 November 2020 Tripartite Declaration, has disrupted peace and stability in the region, massively violating human rights. He welcomed the proposed EU support measures to Armenia to address the current political, economic and humanitarian situation, while noting the need for additional measures to act as a deterrent to further use of violence by Azerbaijan. Efforts for sustainable peace between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Cypriot MP stressed, should be based on the principles of recognition of sovereignty, inviolability of borders and territorial integrity.

Concerning the situation in the Middle East, Hatzigiannis condemned the terrorist attacks by Hamas, noting that the capture of hostages and their use as human shields is a violation of international humanitarian law and constitutes a war crime. He underlined the importance of safe and unhindered humanitarian access to Gaza and noted the initiative promoted by the Republic of Cyprus, as the closest European state in the Middle East region and its long-standing excellent relations with the states of the region, in this regard.

With regard to the imposition of sanctions, Mr.Hatzigiannis noted that they can act as a deterrent, as a mechanism for the protection of human rights, but also as a punishment for those who commit atrocities and pointed out the need to establish a mechanism to monitor their implementation.

Mr. Hatzigiannis further pointed out that the war crimes in Ukraine, Nagorno-Karabakh and Gaza underline the importance of accepting the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court in order to ensure the punishment of those who commit war crimes and ultimately prevent their commission. Hatzigiannis, in his capacity as Vice-Chairman of the OSCE CoC Ad Hoc Committee on Migration, participated in a meeting of the Committee, during which he briefly reviewed current developments in relation to the migration issue in Cyprus.

(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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