March 29, 2024

General Debate Statement Delivered by Permanent Representative Ambassador Nicholas Emiliou

13th Session of the Assembly of States Parties to the Rome Statute

11 December 2014

Mr. President, Members of the Assembly, Distinguished Delegates, Officials of the Court, Ladies and Gentlemen,

Cyprus fully aligns itself with the statement delivered on behalf of the European Union and its Member States.

 

Mr. President,

Since this is the first time I am taking the floor, I would also like to congratulate you on your appointment as President of the Assembly and echo Cyprus’s commitment in supporting your role and working closely with you towards the development of the Court. My delegation would also like to pay tribute to outgoing President Intelmann for her dedication and invaluable contribution to advancing the values of the Court during her tenure. I would also like to express our warm appreciation to outgoing Vice Presidents, H.E. Ambassador Marcus Börlin of Switzerland and H.E. Ambassador Ken Kanda of Ghana, and wish success and fruitful work to the incoming VP’s.

I would simply like to merely highlight two issues, as most issues are comprehensively addressed by the EU Statement.

First, the Republic of Cyprus would like to reiterate is commitment as a co focal-point, along with Japan, to achieving universality and full implementation of the Rome Statute. The fact that there were no new accessions to the Statute in 2014, constitutes a clear indication for the need to enhance our collective efforts and outreach towards States Not Parties to the Statute. We welcome the fact that a number of existing State Parties have ratified the Kampala Amendments, the most recent being Georgia last Friday, and that an additional State Party has ratified the Agreement on Privileges and Immunities. We are also encouraged by positive developments regarding ICC-related recommendations in the context of the Universal Periodic Review mechanism.

Secondly, my delegation would like to refer to concerns expressed by some States Parties in relation to the ICC, and welcomes the stated intention to address as a first challenge the need to reconcile all regions, including Africa and the African Union, with the ICC. While we can acknowledge that our Court is not a perfect construct, it continues to be a collective accomplishment in the shared vision of humanity for global justice and to end the impunity of perpetrators of the atrocities clearly defined by the Statute. As States Parties we can be proud of our Court, and while as Assembly, we have a duty to fulfill our role of exercising oversight, we should spare no effort to safeguard and respect the ICC’s total judicial independence.

 

Mr. President,

As a State Party, the Republic of Cyprus remains committed in continuing to cooperate with all stakeholders in its role as co-focal point for achieving universality and full implementation of the Rome Statute. We look forward to a successful outcome of the Assembly, which will enable the Court to continue fulfilling its very important mandate.

Before closing, my delegation would also like to welcome this year’s very pertinent, stand-alone consideration of the topic of cooperation with the Court, where our views are reflected in the EU Statement.

I thank you for your attention.