NEW YORK (ANA-MPA/G. Garantzioti) –
Greece, at Thursday’s United Nations Security Council briefing on the UN-Organisation of Islamic Cooperation (OIC), reaffirmed its support for enhanced cooperation between the UN and regional/sub-regional organisations, in accordance with UN Charter Chapter VIII.
Deputy Permanent Representative of Greece to the United Nations Ioannis Stamatekos expressed Greece’s support for the constructive UN-OIC engagement towards the fulfilment of UN principles and purposes. He also underlined Greece’s serious concern about and opposition to the content of certain resolutions adopted by the OIC, as well as elements in its Declarations, which contravene international law, the UN Charter, and the UNSC Resolutions.
As Stamatekos said, the most recent Joint Declaration of the OIC Ministerial Meeting refers to a so-called “Turkish Muslim minority in Western Thrace”, as well as a “Turkish Muslim community in the Dodecanese.” Such references are incorrect, he stressed, as the international Lausanne Treaty explicitly defines the status of the Muslim minority in Thrace on the basis of religion. He also underlined that the small number of Greek citizens of Muslim religion residing in Rhodes and Kos islands enjoy the same rights as any other Greek citizen, with their religious rights and freedoms fully protected.
Stamatekos noted that Greece underlines that OIC resolutions must be fully aligned with international law, the UN Charter and Security Council Resolutions, in particular on issues such as the Cyprus problem and non-intervention in the internal affairs of sovereign states, in accordance with Article 2, paragraph 7 of the Charter. On the Cyprus issue, Stamatekos stressed the need for strict compliance with Security Council Resolutions 541 and 550. Greece also expressed its regret that previous efforts to bring these issues to the attention of the OIC Secretariat had not been successful. Adopting positions that blatantly violate international law does little to promote cooperation with the UN or the work of the Security Council, Stamatekos said. He also stressed that Greece, as an elected member of the Council, will never hesitate to raise these issues with the OIC and its member states, faithful to the importance of sincere and honest cooperation.
