24 February 2022, AKEL C.C. Press Office, Nicosia

AKEL denounces Russia's invasion of Ukraine and calls for an immediate ceasefire and the withdrawal of Russian troops from the Ukrainian territories.  The developments of the last few days constitute a backtracking from the Minsk Agreements. We stress that the respect for the independence and territorial integrity of states and the non-interference in their internal affairs constitute rules of mandatory international law. As such, they must be respected by all states of the international community.

The intense militarisation that has been developing in recent months in this region, centred on the deeper geopolitical tug-of-war between the US-NATO-EU on the one hand and Russia on the other, has created enormous dangers for security and peace in Europe and internationally. Responsibility for the non-implementation of the Minsk Agreements package of measures lies with all the involved parties, including the violations of the individual and collective rights of the citizens living in Eastern Ukraine by the Ukrainian government.

Once again, it has been demonstrated that the double standards practiced with regardsthe respect for international law sooner or later turns against all those who engage in such practices. Even more so, they hurt the peoples, something that we in semi-occupied Cyprus, unfortunately, know all too well.

We address an appeal to all the involved parties to return to the path of diplomacy and dialogue. The disastrous consequences of the spreading of a warconfrontation will also affect Cyprus, with immediate economic and energy consequences at a time when the whole of humanity is already plagued by the effects of poverty and pandemic.