On 26 July 1946. in San Francisco, our predecessors pledged to save succeeding generations from the scourge of war. which twice in our lifetime has brought untold sorrow to mankind; to unite our strength to maintain international peace and security; and to settle Members’ international disputes by peaceful means and refrain from the threat or use of force against the territorial integrity or political independence of any State. Those pledges were the promise of our predecessors, bestowed upon us for the future.
The Charter of the United Nations is a promise, not a reality. If we are complacent in our actions, the words are not worth the paper on which they are written. The horrors of the Second World War. which began in Europe and consumed the world, brought nations together. We assembled here today must live up to the obligations prescribed in the United Nations Charter to proclaim “never again”. Make no mistake — we bear the responsibility to ensure that the world does not drift into the horror of war. That is our mandate. Do we have the courage to fulfil it? Do we have the resolve to make peace our top priority and to honour the foundations of the United Nations and ensure its continued relevance?
Our predecessors harboured an admirable sense of their own personal accountability for the future. I believe it is that sense of personal responsibility, at the individual level, that underpins the idea and reality of the United Nations throughout the world. Our predecessors also knew that the path to peace would be challenging. They had the resolve, the deep belief and the knowledge that it would require the ability of all peoples to come together to make peace a reality so that their children and the generations to come — our children today — would not be scarred by another world war. But they also had the greatest of all impetuses. The world and the leaders that came before us inherited ashes, not institutions. They had no choice but to look to multilateralism, international law and respect for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of all States.
Today, as we stand on the shoulders of our predecessors, we remain accountable to deliver on the vision of peace that sparked the creation of this resilient Organization. Will we be worthy and equal to the challenge? Can we act with a sense of urgency, without which we too will fail?
As a historian by training. I believe adamantly that history serves as an invaluable compass and the most valuable source of lessons. More than seven decades after the establishment of the United Nations, the war in Ukraine has shaken the world. It reminds us that “never again” is both a rallying cry and a sacred, fragile promise that we need to protect with all our resolve. Cyprus condemns in the strongest terms any breach of international peace and security effected through military action by any State against the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of another State. We stand — in that instance of the violation of international law and in every such instance — on the right side of history.
Since the very first day of the aggression against Ukraine, the people of Cyprus — one third of them still displaced as a result of foreign aggression against their own country — have displayed solidarity, in deeds and not just in words, with the people of Ukraine. We do that because we remember. We do that because it is the right thing to do. We call for the immediate cessation of hostilities and encourage the parties to engage in constructive dialogue and negotiation. The world must support that effort, not only because history demands it but also to ensure that the world steps back from the edge of a war that could reduce this institution to rubble.
The invasion of Ukraine is not the first instance since the Second World War in which the use of force has been used against a sovereign nation in Europe. Just as in Ukraine, in Cyprus the United Nations Charter and international law continue to be violated. In 1974. Turkey invaded Cyprus, and since then. 49 years on. it has occupied European territory, and the
people of Cyprus — Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots — continue to suffer the consequences of invasion, occupation and division. They are deprived of their fundamental freedoms and human rights. Europe, which decades ago witnessed the worst horrors humankind has ever committed against itself, remains fractured as long as Cyprus is divided.
Having been born in 1973. only a few months before Turkey invaded Cyprus. I have witnessed my people mourn, persevere and rebuild, forever with a burning desire for peace and reunification. The invasion violently displaced hundreds of thousands of Cypriots, and Turkey continues to occupy approximately 37 per cent of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. The families of missing persons desperately await information on the fate of their loved ones. The enclaved stoically await the end of the division.
One of the lessons we are reminded of by the recent invasion of Ukraine is that, in the absence of a lasting, viable peace, the resulting fragility can lead to destabilization, with far-reaching consequences not just for the country concerned but for the region to which it belongs and the world at large. Ukraine has exemplified, in the darkest manner, that a threat to peace somewhere is a threat to peace everywhere. In the absence of a peace path and process in Cyprus, there is a serious risk — one that we have seen materialize in the recent past — of further violations of international law. which creates instability, with ramifications well beyond Cyprus.
We have witnessed the Turkish military forces perpetrate further violations in Varosha. the fenced area of Famagusta. Since 1974. Varosha has been held hostage and rendered a ghost town, contrary to the Security Council resolutions that call for its return to its lawful inhabitants, who left their livelihoods, dreams and hopes between those fences. We have witnessed — in our maritime zones and most recently in the buffer zone — attacks on United Nations peacekeepers by Turkish forces that have horrified and alerted us once again to the urgency of peace in Cyprus. That is why the resumption of negotiations, firmly anchored on the agreed framework, is my absolute priority. The current status quo cannot be the future of Cyprus. It cannot be the future for Cypriots.
As President of the Republic of Cyprus. I believe in peaceful coexistence because, despite growing up in a divided country. I also grew up in a country filled with the hope of reunification and heard stories of all Cypriots living together in peace, united by the land they shared. The new generation of Cypriots is also eager for peace, and that gives me hope and courage. Ahead of my journey to New York. I received a plethora of messages from my Turkish Cypriot compatriots, particularly from the younger generation, calling on me to exert every effort to reunify Cyprus. My message from this rostrum to my Turkish Cypriot compatriots and to all Cypriots is that I hear their call for peace. I understand their concerns and assure them that I will spare no effort to make our common dream of reunification and peace on our island a reality. I want to be able to tell them that the world, the United Nations, the living words of the Charter of the United Nations, also hear their call for peace.
I stand at the General Assembly for the first time, fully aware of the responsibility that has been bestowed upon me to do my utmost to safeguard the future of the Cypriot people — Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike — who want to end the division of their country, to co-exist and co-create. Working towards peace in Cyprus is my absolute priority, and I want to take this opportunity to also send a personal message to President Erdogan. There is not. and never will be. another basis for the settlement of the Cyprus question other than that dictated by Security Council resolutions. Illegality stemming from invasion, aggression and the use of force cannot be recognized.
Cyprus and Turkey are neighbours, bound by geography. Peace in Cyprus will send a resounding message of peace in a region and a world that desperately need it. It will also change the geopolitical map of our neighbourhood, with a ripple effect in Europe, the wider Eastern Mediterranean and throughout European Union-Turkey relations. Gunboat diplomacy and strong- arm tactics belong to the past. They are not the tools of visionary leaders. This is our time to bring the United Nations Charter to life — a Charter for peace between and among us. No one stands to gain from conflict and division. We and the generations that will come after us stand to gain from dialogue and from good- neighbourly relations. I say then to Mr. Erdogan: let us work together guided by a vision of peace. Let us build a brighter future for our countries through dialogue and respect for international legality.
In this great Hall, we all feel the weight of history on our shoulders. The great women and men who gave us this Organization and its institutions expect
us to strengthen and grow them and take personal responsibility for their future. I am here today with clarity of purpose and determination. The sole effective medium for addressing the risk of instability generated by the absence of a peace path is to pave a path and foster dialogue through which the positions and concerns of all sides can be addressed and discussed in good faith.
I stand ready to negotiate boldly and courageously on the Cyprus question in good faith, always within the agreed United Nations framework that calls for a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by the relevant Security Council resolutions. At a time when international legality is under attack, international law and Security Council resolutions must prevail. I am committed to negotiating a settlement that will safeguard fundamental freedoms and human rights and the interests of all my Cypriot compatriots — Greek Cypriots. Turkish Cypriots. Maronites. Armenians and Latins — all equal; a comprehensive settlement that will allow them to prosper in coexistence and peace, free of any anachronistic dependencies and system of guarantees that have no place in a European country. That is why the resumption of peace negotiations based on the agreed framework, while preserving the acquis of the previous round of negotiations, is essential.
As the Security Council has resolved, it is high time for the United Nations to become a driving force of dialogue by. as a first step, appointing an envoy on the Cyprus problem to explore and prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations. The United Nations and its Secretary-General have the responsibility, prescribed in the United Nations Charter, to act as a catalyst for peace in Cyprus. In doing so. the United Nations can be facilitated by the European Union, which also has the tools necessary and has expressed its commitment to delivering so as to reunify its last divided member State. Just like the United Nations, the European Union is also a project of peace. The European Union can — and must — act decisively, with all the means at its disposal, to drive the reunification of its last divided member State and. in doing so. contribute to peace in Europe, the wider Middle East and indeed the world.
The theme of this year’s session of the General Assembly focuses on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development and its Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) with a view to achieving peace, prosperity, progress and sustainability for all. The achievement of the SDGs requires universal efforts and transformative solutions. The climate emergency and climate change know no borders.
Our own region, the Eastern Mediterranean, is especially vulnerable in that regard. The raging wildfires and floods during the summer were a sombre reminder of the fact that we are failing to act. at our own peril. We have regrettably all observed nature’s wrath, from the storms in countries of our region to those in countries such as Libya, in which thousands so tragically lost their lives. To that end. Cyprus is actively participating in a new international climate change initiative to address the specific needs and challenges that countries in our neighbourhood are facing to advance mitigation actions. The Climate Ambition Summit, which is being held today, is a critical milestone in confirming our collective political will to achieve the transition to a climate-resilient global economy.
At the same time, recognizing that human rights are essential for lasting peace and sustainable development, we must ensure that they guide the solutions to our challenges. The international human rights agenda is a priority policy for Cyprus, and it is exactly for that reason that we announced our candidacy for the Human Rights Council for the period 2025-2027. As a European Union member State, we are committed to taking action against gender-based violence, and we have also joined the Secretary-General’s circle of leadership on the prevention of. and response to. sexual exploitation and abuse at the United Nations.
In 1946. Winston Churchill declared that the dangers and difficulties of establishing the conditions of freedom and democracy and permanently preventing war will not be removed by closing our eyes to them or by a policy of appeasement towards aggressors. What is needed is real action. And the longer that is delayed, the more difficult it will be and the greater the dangers will become.
Cyprus is at the crossroads of Europe and the Middle East, in a part of the world that is no stranger to conflict and instability. However, we are convinced that the Eastern Mediterranean and the wider Middle East are changing the narrative of being a region in turmoil. We can become a hub of stability, peace and cooperation — an exemplar of the change capable in the twenty-first century. Cyprus seeks to act as a facilitator for that common vision and has come together with its immediate neighbours — Egypt. Israel. Jordan. Lebanon. Palestine and Greece — to build a solid
network of cooperation that is underpinned by a vision to make the Mediterranean Sea a sea of peace, cooperation and prosperity. We shall continue on that path of multilateralism, anchored on respect for international legality, and we call on all countries of the region that share those values to join us. That, after all. is the essence of the guiding principles that founded the United Nations 78 years ago.
I come before the Assembly today to ask for us all to work together towards peace. It is nothing new or ground-breaking, but it is world-changing. And we need to remind ourselves every day that it is within our reach and responsibility.