The Charter of the United Nations remains our best inspiration in how we behave towards each other as countries: to maintain international peace and security, to develop friendly relations among nations based on respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples. We should all learn, not only from the Russian war against Ukraine, but also from what has happened over the years in Afghanistan, Syria, Libya, Iraq and other so called post-conflict countries. They show how pointless and painful it is for military powers to invade countries and prove their capability at winning wars but also reveal how incompetent they are at building peace.

As former European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker has said: “The imperative of intervention, even with the aim of avoiding the worst, is no longer appropriate. The idea that we can intervene from the outside in the internal development of societies that do not resemble ours was wrong. It has only produced failures. … we ought to learn to manage our own affairs before concerning ourselves with the affairs of others.”

It is not the first time that Juncker says that the European Union needs to be realistic and humble about our position in the world: “Europe, which cannot be reduced to the European Union, is quite small. We are the smallest continent in the world even though we always think we are the centre of the world. We are not, and never have been, the masters of world history … we need to define a relationship with the rest of the world — (with the United States), with China, with Russia, (with the area immediately surrounding Europe which includes Turkey and the Middle East) and with Africa, a continent whose importance is greatly underestimated by European nations.”

To be able to do effectively what Juncker rightly advises us to do we need to overcome our Eurocentrism and all colonial hangovers and learn to think, talk and behave differently with the rest of the world and treat Asia, Africa and Latin America as equal partners and not as inferior beings that need to be lectured to and to be put on the “right” path that we decide for them.

Violence against religions

Yesterday, 22 August, was the International Day Commemorating the Victims of Acts of Violence Based on Religion or Belief.  No person should ever suffer violence due to their religion or belief. The freedom of thought, conscience and religion is a human right enshrined in multiple international treaties and conventions, and all governments have a legal, and moral, obligation to ensure it is respected.

Regrettably, we continue to observe acts of violence based on religion or belief, often committed with impunity. Attacks on individuals based on their religion or belief, as well as violence perpetrated under the false and misguided pretext on a religious doctrine, are unacceptable.

This day illustrates the consequences of such an unfortunate reality. It also serves as an opportunity to remember and pay tribute to the tragic victims, who have suffered violence or threat of violence, due to their religion or belief.

Let us commemorate these victims in a meaningful way. This can be achieved by recommitting to our belief in tolerance and openness; continuing our efforts against intolerance, discrimination, and impunity; whilst simultaneously working towards ending violence against persons based on religion or belief.

We share a collective responsibility to do all in our power to prevent such crimes. It is our duty to act on such a responsibility.

We all get hurt

Somehow or other we are all caught in the disputes in the Eastern Mediterranean and if we do not find ways of resolving them for the common good, we may all get hurt. All the states involved in the disputes have to patiently persevere to find ways forward through dialogue and negotiations, however difficult, without the need to humiliate each other.

Appeals for dialogue and negotiations instead of confrontation and armed conflict cannot be dismissed as being naïve. As neighbours we should do all we can to defuse tensions instead of stoking them to sell these countries arms and military assets.

All interested states should adopt a moratorium in all the disputed areas. Each state should agree not to jeopardise the rights of others. All parties should cease from carrying out activities that would jeopardise future solutions.

The delimitation of the Exclusive Economic Zone and continental shelf shall be effected on the basis of international law to achieve an equitable solution. If no agreement can be reached the states concerned should enter into provisional arrangements of a practical nature not to jeopardize the reaching of the final agreement. Such arrangements shall be without prejudice to the final delimitation.

The way forward is very difficult but further escalation and aggression will make it even more difficult and painful for everyone.

We can learn from similar disputes in other parts of the world where neighbouring countries found ways of overcoming their animosities and sat down together, delineated the contested areas, declared them neutral zones, suspended their claims and all activities in them, till patiently they persevered to come to an agreement on how to continue exploring and exploiting their energy resources.

All the states in the Eastern Mediterranean involved in these disputes need each other to fully exploit these resources.

It should be recalled that delimitation of boundaries whilst commendable as final solutions are not the only response strategies. States in other parts of the world, including the Mediterranean, have resorted to joint development mechanisms which defuse the conflict potential by allowing states to jointly explore and exploit the disputed area.