The departure of Syria’s ex-president Bashar al-Assad, “in the manner he left, cannot considered anything but a very positive development,” President Nikos Christodoulides told a gathering in Athens on Friday.

“No one, absolutely no one can justify the barbaric behaviour, the daily violation of human rights in Syria during Assad’s tenure,” Christodoulides said in a speech at the annual conference of the Hellenic Society of International Law and International Relations.

Christodoulides said it was important “to see what the next day in Syria will be like and how the new regime will ensure human rights in the country, the inclusion of all minorities, how it will be able to function as a state, within the framework of the democratic institutions that exist in the Middle East, and that we will not see developments that cause concern.”

He added that Greece and Cyprus have a significant advantage as they know the region and maintain excellent relations with all neighbouring countries.

The president said Cyprus has been actively present in addressing the major crises in the region, including facilitating humanitarian aid to Gaza and the passage of evacuees back home.

Christodoulides also referred to the war in Ukraine and compared it to Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus.
Cyprus, he said, “chose the right side of history and stands with the international community, supporting the struggle for respect for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of Ukraine, as well as every other internationally recognised country.”

On the Cyprus issue, Christodoulides said he remained “cautiously optimistic about the future”.
“Our side, always in cooperation with the Greek government, actively supports the initiative of the UN secretary-general and we are substantially investing in this new effort” for a settlement, he said.

He added that “Turkey will proceed with the resolution of the Cyprus issue if it realises that, through the resolution of the Cyprus issue, its own geostrategic goals are also served, which primarily touch upon the European perspective of the country.”