Press Releases

New York, 28 October 2022 

Cyprus fully subscribes to the statement of the European Union and would like to add a few additional remarks.

At the outset, allow me to thank President Donoghue for her introduction of this year’s report of the International Court of Justice (ICJ) (A/77/4) and to welcome the high level of activity of the Court during the reporting period that includes the handing down of four judgments and fifteen orders, as well as the seizure of four new contentious cases. During this reporting period, cases submitted to the Court have involved a wide range of issues, including territorial and maritime delimitation, violations of sovereign rights and maritime spaces, human rights and international humanitarian law, genocide, reparation for internationally wrongful acts, environmental protection, and more generally the interpretation and application of international treaties and conventions. As stipulated in the report, the geographical spread of the cases brought before the Court and the diversity of their subject matter illustrate the universal and general character of the Court’s jurisdiction.

We commend the Court for the steps taken to return to its pre-pandemic working methods, including a return to in-person and hybrid public hearings and for the private meetings of the Court, with effect from 1 June 2022.

Cyprus is a strong supporter of the Court as the principal judicial organ of the United Nations and has full confidence in its impartiality and effectiveness. As a country that cherishes international law and effective multilateralism, Cyprus adheres to the principles of the Court and attaches great importance to all peaceful means of dispute settlement pursuant to Articles 2(3) and 33 of the UN Charter. I would like to reiterate that my country recognized the compulsory jurisdiction of the Court in 1988 in accordance with article 36 of the ICJ Statute and we strongly encourage all Member States to do the same.

The contribution of the Court’s jurisprudence on the protection of the principles of the Charter of the United Nations, especially as regards to the development of the concept of the crime of aggression and the prohibition of the use of force, cannot be overstated. Furthermore, we note the fact that the ICJ has seized with several maritime delimitation disputes which are governed by UNCLOS which forms customary international law, and as President Donoghue noted in her speech for the 40th anniversary of UNCLOS recently, the jurisprudence play an important role in identifying and solidifying the rules that apply not only to States Parties to UNCLOS, but also to those States that are not party to the Convention.  

I take this opportunity to underscore that my country has on several occasions expressed its readiness to engage in negotiations with any relevant country, with a view to reaching a peaceful settlement in good faith of any maritime dispute in the Eastern Mediterranean, in full respect of international law, including the settling of any such dispute before the ICJ.

Finally, this year’s reporting period was marked by the tragic loss of the Honorable Judge Antônio Augusto Cançado Trindade, one of the Court’s most towering figures, a prolific scholar and jurist who will be sorely missed. The election to fill the vacancy in the ICJ caused by the irredeemable loss of Judge Trindade will be held in the General Assembly and the Security Council in a few days. In this regard, Cyprus would like to reiterate the importance of selecting the most prominent jurists of high merit with international recognition, from all regions of the world and from diverse legal traditions, to serve as ICJ judges.

I thank you.

(EP/ECHR)