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The Speaker of the House of Representatives Ms Anita Demetriou addressed today the meeting of the Legal Committee of the CSCE, which is hosted by the House of Representatives on 22 and 23 May 2023, in Larnaca.
Welcoming the members of the Committee, the Speaker of the Parliament expressed her appreciation for the work carried out by the Legal and Human Rights Committee within the framework of its competences, both within the Council of Europe (CoE) and at the level of the member states. Ms Demetriou stressed that the fight against impunity and corruption in the field of justice and the defence of the rule of law and human rights, as priority issues and main lines of action of the Commission, become even more important today, given the increasing challenges on the international political scene and the exposure of European citizens, especially the most vulnerable among them, to multiple risks and threats.
The President pointed out that the Commission's work is inextricably linked to the Cyprus problem and its individual aspects and referred to relevant decisions, reports and recommendations concerning, inter alia, the rights of Greek Cypriots and Maronite internally displaced persons, the illegal colonisation of the occupied territories of the Republic of Cyprus by Turkey, the concepts of national sovereignty and statehood in international law, and the forced transfer of populations as a violation of human rights. He also noted that the House of Representatives was awaiting with particular interest the report of the CSTO Rapporteur, Mr Piero Fassino, on the subject of the "Appeal for the return of Famagusta to its lawful inhabitants".
The Cypriot people, said the Speaker, have been experiencing, for 49 years, serious violations of their fundamental rights as a consequence of the illegal Turkish invasion and continued occupation of more than a third of their territory. Ms Demetriou stressed the commitment of the Greek Cypriot side to the objective of resuming the talks, within the agreed UN framework, with a more active and substantial involvement of the EU towards the achievement of a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of international law, relevant UN resolutions and European principles and values, ensuring conditions of peace, prosperity and perspective for the Cypriot people as a whole and in particular for future generations.
The Speaker also noted that the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) has ruled on complex legal points related to the Cyprus problem, including Cyprus' inter-state claims against Turkey. Ms Demetriou expressed concern about the termination of the supervision procedure for the enforcement of the ECtHR judgment in the case of Loizidou v. Turkey of the CoE, noting that it is a particularly unpleasant development, which may set a negative precedent in relation to the property rights of victims in other member states of the Council of Europe. Violations of rights, the President of the Parliament stressed, are not time-barred over time. Neither can we accept the normalisation of human rights violations, nor can we accept the methodical and illegal exploitation of Greek Cypriot properties in areas illegally occupied by Turkey. Respect for the principles and values of the CoE, he stressed, must be applied without exception and without exception by all member states and the logic of two measures and two stations should be eliminated in order to preserve the authority and credibility of the Organization.
Finally, Ms Demetriou noted that the House of Representatives is making every possible effort, making full use of its participation in the CSTO, through the transfer of know-how, experience and the promotion of legislative and other arrangements, in order to better protect human rights and deepen the rule of law.
(Text as sent by the House of Representatives)
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