President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nikos Christodoulides, expressed Cyprus' strong commitment to work with all members of the United Nations to ensure full and equal human rights.

Speaking on Thursday at the opening ceremony of Cyprus Forum 2024 in Nicosia, the President said that in this context, and as a sign of its readiness for greater multilateral action, the Republic of Cyprus has announced its first candidacy for the United Nations Human Rights Council for the period 2025-2027, and the election will be held in a few days.

Furthermore, he said that just like the case of Cyprus, the prevalence of peace and stability is a one-way street, "because quite simply the status quo is neither sustainable nor static and carries very serious risks."

Because we know very well, he stressed, "what war means, what being a refugee means, as the Republic of Cyprus we have always chosen within our capabilities, not to remain uninvolved", he said and referred to Cyprus' initiative to establish a humanitarian sea corridor from Cyprus to Gaza which he presented in October 2023 in Paris, at the Conference organized by the French President.

Despite some initial reactions, he said, "we implemented the Amalthea initiative, putting in place the humanitarian maritime corridor, acting within the framework of our moral responsibility to help the innocent citizens of Gaza, as a state that maintains excellent relations with all neighboring states and is the representative of the European Union in the region."

Referring to his contacts in New York, he said that he felt "proud of the fact that everyone, without exception, started our discussion by thanking the Republic of Cyprus for our initiative and highlighting its role in addressing with a humanitarian crisis."

The President said that Cyprus, despite the problems, the Turkish occupation, the presence of foreign troops on its territory, despite the daily challenges, "can and does play an active and many times, as my interlocutors characterized it, irreplaceable role in providing humanitarian aid, in evacuating citizens and, in promoting, through our contacts, peace and stability."

He noted that as he stated at the United Nations General Assembly a few days ago, "in this interconnected world, multilateralism, collegiality is essential and we all, some more and some less, have an important role to play."

The President continued by saying that precisely for this reason, Cyprus always works within its capabilities, together with its partners to promote cooperation between governments, international organizations, civil society and the private sector.

"Despite our small size, our commitment remains strong to work with all members of the United Nations to ensure the full and equal enjoyment of human rights, which also touches upon the broader goals of the 2030 Agenda," the President concluded.

CNA is media sponsor of the Cyprus Forum.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results.