“The opening of Varosha and Turkey's new illegal NAVTEX are actions that fire up the situation in the region again,” the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs & Chairman of the Committee of Minister of the Council of Europe, Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, stressed during today’s meeting of the Enlarged Standing Committee of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, which was held via videoconference.
More specifically, Mr. Varvitsiotis characterised these Turkish actions as contrary to International Law, the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, and the conclusions of the latest European Council meeting. "We call on Turkey to immediately cease its illegal actions, which undermine peace and security in the region,” he underscored.
Regarding the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, Mr. Varvitsiotis said that we welcome the ceasefire agreement and are in favour of a peaceful solution to the problem – a solution that includes the renewed involvement of the Minsk Group and the OSCE. “The ceasefire must be the number-one priority at this time,” he commented.
The Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs then referred to the developments in Belarus, underscoring that legitimacy cannot derive from suppression, but from a free and fair election process based on the rule of law.
Mr. Varvitsiotis also condemned the political exploitation of refugees and highlighted the need for a more cohesive migration policy that guarantees protection of the lives of people in need and of the security of the member-state borders and citizens. He added that, in spite of difficulties, Greece succeeded in creating, in a very short time, a new space for hosting migrants and refugees at Kara Tepe.
Finally, the Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs informed the members of the Committee that the Greek Chairmanship of the Council of Europe has stepped up its work on the Athens Declaration, which will be a ‘crowning’ text on the protection of Democracy, Rule of Law and Human Rights in times of pandemic.
October 12, 2020