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Foreign Minister Constantinos Kombos participated today, Monday 26 February 2024, in the High Level Meeting of the 55th Session of the Human Rights Council, which took place at the United Nations Headquarters in Geneva.
In his remarks, Mr. Kobos referred to the importance of upholding human rights, especially in times of crisis, aggression and armed conflict, such as in Ukraine, the Middle East and Nagorno-Karabakh. He also mentioned that this year marks the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion, with Cyprus and its people suffering five decades of violations of human rights and humanitarian law. Human rights violations, he added, cannot be accepted or normalised, and victims cannot be treated as statistics. This principle is the foundation of our hope for ending division, peaceful coexistence and healing the wounds of the past in our country, he concluded. During his intervention, he also referred to Cyprus' first ever candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the period 2025 - 2027, underlining Cyprus' commitment, if elected, to actively contribute to addressing the challenges of defending human rights internationally.
In the margins of the session, Mr. Kombos had a meeting with the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Mr. Volker Türk, during which the challenges faced by the Office of the High Commissioner in its efforts to defend human rights internationally were discussed. In this context, the Foreign Minister also referred to the violations of the Turkish invasion and ongoing occupation.
The Foreign Minister also met with the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, Mr Filippo Grandi, with whom he exchanged views on the intense migratory pressures faced by Cyprus and the need to address them effectively.
Finally, Mr. Kombos had separate bilateral meetings with Jordanian Foreign Minister Ayman Safadi and Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shoukry, with whom he discussed the latest developments in the Middle East, with emphasis on the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
(MF/EAth/NG)
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