Why is the road to The Hague accessible for Armenia-Azerbaijan but not for Cyprus-Turkey?

As a resident of The Hague in the Netherlands, I have become familiar with the international courts which have transformed this historic Dutch city into an international center dedicated to peace and justice. I have also been inspired by the humane culture of The Hague that reflects the civilized values espoused by renowned Dutch scholars. These include Desiderius Erasmus who believed that the value of justice is that it “restrains bloodshed, punishes guilt, defends possessions and keeps people safe from oppression.”

My residence in The Hague began after I experienced the bloodshed, the loss of possessions, and the insecurity caused by the armed invasion of my country, Cyprus, in 1974. That invasion resulted in the occupation of my birthplace of Famagusta. Having been forced out of my home in Famagusta and having thereby become a war child, I have used my adopted new home city to seek peace and justice for my semi-occupied country and my war-ravaged birthplace. My philosophy has rested on a simple idea. Only justice may bring authentic peace to the people of Cyprus, thus enabling them to move on and find harmony within themselves.

In practice, some of the main roads to justice pass through The Hague.

On the one hand, The Hague is synonymous with key instruments of international humanitarian law. These include the 1899 Hague Conventions with Respect to the Laws and Customs of War, the 1907 Hague Regulations annexed to the 1899 Conventions, and the 1954 Convention for the Protection of Cultural Property in the Event of Armed Conflict.

On the other hand, The Hague is where the International Court of Justice (ICJ) was established in 1945, where the onetime International Criminal Tribunal for the former Yugoslavia (ICTY) was established in 1993, and where the International Criminal Court (ICC) was established in 2002.

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Πηγή: providencemag.com