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- Ελληνικά
The 21st Autumn Meeting of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE COP) concluded today in Yerevan. The Vice-Chairman of the CoC. Mr. Kyriakos Hatzigiannis, MP, participated in a session of the OSCE Parliamentary Mediterranean Forum on current developments in the Middle East.
In his intervention, Mr. Hatzigiannis said that following the Hamas attack on 7 October and Israel's response, instability has returned to the Middle East.
Israel, the Cypriot MP stressed, has the right to self-defence under international law, but war and the aggravation of the humanitarian crisis are not solutions to the problem. Noting that the protection of civilians should be a priority, Mr. Hatzigiannis stressed the need to observe humanitarian ceasefires, which should be respected by all, so that humanitarian aid reaches those who need it.
Cyprus, Hatzigiannis said, is a pole of stability in the region, as it is recognized by all sides as an honest and reliable interlocutor that defends international law and the rule of law. In this context, he referred to the Government's plan to create a humanitarian corridor between Cyprus and Gaza by sea.
In addition, Mr.Hatzigiannis stressed the need for the strategic defeat of Hamas, which is a terrorist organization that has openly attacked the civilian population and which should in no way be identified with the Palestinians or the Palestinian Authority.
Unfortunately, the Cypriot MP pointed out, the Turkish President seeks to increase his country's influence in the region by presenting himself as a protector of Muslims and a peacemaker, justifying the war crimes committed by Hamas and accusing Israel of being a terrorist state. At the same time, Turkey continues to illegally occupy 37% of the Cypriot territory, to make methodical attempts at demographic change in Cyprus, to continue its illegal colonization of Famagusta and to systematically violate human rights and international law, including the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Final Act. Hatzigianni noted the possibility of an increase in migration flows to Europe, the possibility of terrorist attacks on targets of Israeli interests and the strengthening of Islamist radicalisation, terrorism and anti-Semitism.
Finally, he stressed the need to start negotiations between the two sides in order to find a comprehensive, just and viable solution that serves Israelis and Palestinians and is based on international law.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
(OP)
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