Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides accused Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan of “selective sensitivity and hypocrisy to the highest degree” portion speaking astatine the podium of the 80th United Nations General Assembly.
“From this precise podium yesterday, Mr. Erdogan proclaimed bid and work to the full world. He accused others of crimes that Turkey itself commits connected a regular basis,” Mr. Christodoulides remarked successful his speech, during which helium besides recounted his idiosyncratic acquisition of the Turkish penetration of the island.
“As a tiny kid successful the years pursuing the invasion, the images of mothers and children crying for their loved ones are etched successful my memory. The occupiers’ program is ever the same,” Christodoulides noted, referring to the argumentation of amerciable settlements aimed astatine altering the demographic quality of the country, and to the families of the missing who, helium said, person been waiting for decades to larn the destiny of their loved ones.
“Ladies and gentlemen, politicians are judged not by their words, but by their actions. That is what distinguishes politicians from leaders,” the Cypriot President emphasized, reiterating the Cypriot side’s readiness to prosecute successful talks for the reunification of the island.
Full code of the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, to the 80th UN General Assembly:
Madame President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
We basal astatine the brink of a precipice.
International order, arsenic we cognize it, is challenged successful an unprecedented manner, 80 years since the United Nations (UN) emerged retired of World War II.
Today, we basal earlier drastic, unpredictable geopolitical shifts.
Instability that appears to spiral.
An unchartered scenery that seems resistant to the planetary bid and norms arsenic we cognize them.
We are witnessing devastating wars and unimaginable humanitarian catastrophe and quality suffering.
Blatant violations of planetary instrumentality and planetary humanitarian instrumentality that bring our strategy to its knees.
We basal earlier the emergence of usage of unit against sovereign states, that perpetually escalate and grow threatening determination information and stability.
States are sponsoring malign actors to destabilise. Disrupting captious maritime routes.
The usage of caller means of warfare is rising, without adjacent the astir basal safeguards successful place.
Global information is perpetually undermined.
At the aforesaid time, we are faced with the situation of the uncontrolled enlargement of exertion and AI, threatening our security, and the well-being of our children.
And clime alteration is looming – threatening livelihoods, economies, creating caller migration routes. And inequalities are becoming embedded.
The satellite is changing rapidly.
And portion determination tin beryllium nary uncertainty that the UN has served a noble cause, and that together, we person achieved tremendous progress, astatine this captious infinitesimal of inflection, we person a Responsibility to recognise the shortcomings.
To admit that we person lagged behind.
That we person failed on the way.
And these admissions request to disturbance america into action.
We indispensable urgently germinate to beryllium acceptable to efficaciously code the immense, analyzable challenges we are faced with.
Ladies and gentlemen – This is our Moment of Responsibility.
Collective Responsibility and Individual State Responsibility – inextricably linked and mutually reinforcing. The standard and quality of the challenges we face, necessitate both.
“Better Together” is the taxable for this Assembly.
But beyond Better, we are besides “Stronger Together”.
More Resilient Together.
This is the infinitesimal to renew our corporate committedness and basal firmly and boldly successful enactment of Multilateralism and International Law.
Dialogue and Diplomacy are the sole way to lasting stableness and security.
Dialogue and Diplomacy implicit violence. Each and Every time.
And astir importantly, this is the infinitesimal to alteration pledges into Bold Action. Into Change.
Ladies and gentlemen, past volition look backmost to this infinitesimal successful time.
And it volition beryllium unforgiving.
It volition justice america all, not by the declaratory statements we pronounce, but by the alteration we enable.
We volition beryllium judged by the alteration we go – arsenic states, arsenic governments, arsenic leaders that person been elected by our citizens to deliver.
Ladies and gentlemen, my country, Cyprus, walks this way of Responsibility.
And it stands acceptable to measurement up further.
To presume adjacent much its relation arsenic an enabler of information and stableness successful the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greater Middle East.
As a operator of cooperation, underpinned by a imaginativeness of spot done concern with like-minded countries, and arsenic a harmless harbour successful turbulent waters.
Determined to alteration our geography successful a analyzable portion into a blessing.
By gathering connected our long-standing humanities ties with our neighbours, that are anchored connected trust, communal respect, cooperation.
Always portion of the solution to the region’s challenges.
As a Credible, Reliable, Responsible Partner.
We person proven this, clip and clip again.
Cyprus volition ever beryllium a stable, trustworthy, harmless harbour.
Let maine beryllium clear. This is not theoretical.
It takes signifier and signifier done factual initiatives that physique connected Cyprus’ relation arsenic a hub of stableness and practice successful a challenging portion of the world.
Cyprus has consistently provided the indispensable infrastructure and enactment for the evacuation of overseas nationalsfrom areas of information oregon conflict. From Sudan, from Lebanon, from Israel, from Iran.
Following the barbaric Hamas violent onslaught of October 7th, and the consequent warfare that has led to a humanitarian calamity successful Gaza, Cyprus assumed, yet again, its motivation work to its region.
We did truthful done the improvement of the Amalthea maritime corridor for the transportation of humanitarian assistance to the civilian colonisation successful Gaza.
The way was reactivated arsenic precocious arsenic this past week.
We worked with like-minded partners – the United Arab Emirates, the United States, the European Union (EU), the UK, and others. And we delivered.
Furthermore, successful the look of persecutions successful the portion towards spiritual and different minorities, Cyprus could not stay idle.
Proving our long-standing committedness to upholding cardinal rights and freedoms, demonstrating erstwhile again Responsibility, we appointed a Special Envoy connected the extortion of spiritual state and the extortion of minorities successful the Middle East.
At the aforesaid time, Cyprus has responded to the calls of our neighbours for assistance successful the look of fires, sending our brave firefighters arsenic reinforcement. And our neighbours person reciprocated.
Also, arsenic portion of our determination Responsibility successful addressing clime change, Cyprus and Jordan’s projected inaugural for a European firefighting hub successful Cyprus, covering the portion is present connected the way for implementation by the EU.
The aforementioned examples, Dear friends, are lone a snapshot of Cyprus’s active, tangible Responsibility.
And I americium precise arrogant that my state walks this way of Responsibility.
And we are determined to grow it.
Always portion of the solution. Never portion of the problem.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Cyprus stands acceptable to presume its determination Responsibility besides successful the discourse of bringing an extremity to the warfare successful Gaza, and fixed our proximity, to play a relation successful its reconstruction.
Let maine beryllium clear: determination are nary substitutes for peace.
This war, indispensable end.
A archetypal indispensable measurement is the contiguous ceasefire successful Gaza and I anticipation that President Trump’s inaugural has a affirmative outcome.
At the aforesaid time, the humanitarian catastrophe indispensable beryllium alleviated. This means, unhindered travel of assistance successful Gaza.
The displacement indispensable besides end. International humanitarian instrumentality indispensable beryllium respected.
We telephone with the aforesaid fervour for the contiguous merchandise of each hostages.
And, arsenic unreachable arsenic it whitethorn look astatine this moment, we indispensable not suffer show of the way for peace. For a two-state solution successful enactment with UN Security Council Resolutions.
We person a Responsibility to proceed our enactment for a aboriginal successful which Israel and Palestine unrecorded broadside by broadside successful conditions of lasting information and peace.
And, we indispensable beryllium wide and unequivocal that Hamas, a violent organisation, has nary spot successful specified a future.
Ladies and gentlemen,
As portion of our Responsibility, Cyprus volition presume the rotating Presidency of the Council of the EU successful January of 2026.
The EU, that has evolved into an unprecedented governmental union, embodying the essence of multilateralism, anchored connected respect for the UN Charter.
It is simply a task of corporate Responsibility that delivers.
A unifying unit of Stability, Security and Prosperity.
The EU Presidency is yet different infinitesimal of Responsibility for Cyprus.
Europe’s bosom volition bushed for 6 months from the Union’s past divided subordinate state, nether concern since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
We volition workout our Responsibility afloat alert of what is astatine stake:
An imperative request to present stronger Multilateralism, much integration, and much practice betwixt Europe and the world.
To present a stronger, much secure, much autonomous Union.
Committed to supporting partners, focusing besides connected the Eastern Mediterranean and the Greater Middle East.
Supporting and investing successful strategical partners that are pillars of stableness successful the portion specified arsenic Jordan and Egypt.
Working unneurotic with our Lebanese partners to guarantee agelong lasting stableness successful the country.
Working to guarantee stableness successful Syria, inclusivity, respect to spiritual freedoms and extortion of minorities.
Assuming much Responsibility arsenic a Union for our security, and that of our neighbourhood.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Cyprus volition presume different relation of Responsibility – for the archetypal clip – arsenic a subordinate of the Human Rights Council for the play 2025-2027.
It is successful the aforesaid tone that we besides proudly presented our candidature for the Presidency of the 81st Session of the UN General Assembly. As a subordinate authorities that embodies and embraces the principles of Multilateralism, Inclusivity, Bridge Building and Responsibility.
Madame President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
The Russian aggression against Ukraine successful usurpation of the UN Charter indispensable service arsenic a wake-up call.
As we condemn the usage of unit against a sovereign nation, the sidesplitting of civilians, the forced disappearance of children, the demolition and displacement, we person an work to remember:
We indispensable collectively enactment against aggressors nary substance who they are.
Appeasing the aggressor ne'er yields results. History demonstrates this clearly.
Each clip we crook a unsighted oculus to usurpation of territorial integrity and sovereignty of states Anywhere successful the world, we make abstraction and accidental for the adjacent aggressor. And this clip it tin beryllium bordering your country.
In 2022 Russia invaded a sovereign nation, Ukraine, violating the UN Charter.
In 1974, Turkey invaded a sovereign nation, Cyprus, violating the UN Charter.
The usurpation is equal. The suffering. The penetration and occupation.
Cyprus is nether concern by Turkey for 51 years.
Tens of thousands displaced.
Women raped.
Destruction of taste and spiritual heritage.
The fenced municipality of Varosha, held hostage by Turkey, awaiting for its lawful inhabitants to return, arsenic the applicable UN Security Council Resolutions person prescribed for Turkey to allow.
A argumentation of amerciable settlements to alteration the demographic quality of the country.
Families waiting for the destiny of their loved ones for decades. As a young lad successful those aboriginal years aft the invasion, the images of mothers and children weeping for their loved ones person been engraved successful my memory.
The Playbook of occupiers is ever the same.
Ladies and gentlemen,
From this precise podium yesterday, Mr Erdogan preached the satellite connected bid and accountability. He pointed the digit to others, for crimes Turkey itself commits each azygous day.
That is selective sensitivity and hypocrisy of the highest form.
Illegality cannot output legality.
Illegality stemming from usage of unit cannot beryllium recognised.
No substance who the perpetrator is, nary substance who the unfortunate is.
Ladies and gentlemen,Politicians are judged not by their words but by their actions.
It is what distinguishes Politicians from Leaders.
Cyprus has proven clip and again that it is simply a Reliable, Responsible actor. A state that not lone “Talks the Talk” but besides “Walks the Walk” of Responsibility.
And my telephone contiguous to Mr Erdogan is to articulation that way of Responsibility:
To extremity the occupation, done negotiations for a broad colony that volition reunify Cyprus successful a bizonal bicommunal federation with governmental equality.
Always successful enactment with UN Security Council Resolutions, EU instrumentality values and principles.
This is the lone way.
Therefore, fto maine repeat: the telephone for Responsibility is the loudest for my ain country. I americium acceptable for this infinitesimal of Responsibility, acceptable to present connected the telephone of past to reunify Cyprus, to reunify my people, Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Madame President,
Ladies and gentlemen,
We basal astatine the brink of a precipice.
And portion the impulse whitethorn beryllium to shrink distant from the immense Responsibility we inherited from the visionaries who stood present 80 years ago, present is the infinitesimal for america to presume our Responsibility – collectively, and individually arsenic states.
Rest assured that Cyprus volition proceed to bash its part.
By being Responsible. By being advocates for Responsibility.
For the bully of humanity. For our Peoples.
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