The Turkish delegation at OSCE Parliamentary Assembly, which takes place in Birmingham, attempted to pass an amendment deleting an explicit reference to the implementation of the provisions of the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS). The amendment was rejected by a large majority, according to a press release by the Cyprus Parliament.
According to the press release, the vice-president of OSCE, head of the Cyprus delegation, Irene Charalambides, objected the adoption of the Turkish amendment before the members of the Political Affairs and Security Committee.
She noted that the real objective of the Turkish side is to downgrade the legally binding provisions of the UNCLOS. Charalambides criticized Turkey for taking advantage of the rights deriving from the Convention, even though it is not a party to it, and of threatening Cyprus and Greece with war, which, on the other hand, are parties.
Cyprus MP asked the OSCE delegations to reject the amendment which was finally rejected by a large majority.
The deliberations of the 29th Annual Session of OSCE PA continue and as the announcement reads, during the morning session of the General Committee on Political Affairs and Security, a discussion was held on a resolution submitted by the Icelandic delegation on the Arctic region. A vote of adoption followed.
Source: Cyprus News Agency