Press release regarding the participation of the Minister of Foreign Affairs in the World Press Freedom Conference
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, Mr. Nikos Christodoulidis, participated this afternoon, through teleconference, in the proceedings of the Ministerial Meeting held within the framework of this year's World Press Freedom Conference.
The conference, organized by the Netherlands in cooperation with the United Nations, is attended by, among others, UNESCO Director-General Mrs. Audrey Azoulay, Ministers hailing from more than fifty countries, as well as academics and representatives from the media as well as NGOs from around the world.
In his speech, the Foreign Minister pointed out, among other things, that freedom of the press and the security of journalists are fundamental pillars of democracy, which we have an obligation to defend. Noting that the coronavirus pandemic has further highlighted the importance of quality journalism as the "most effective vaccine" against fake news and misinformation, Minister Christodoulides stressed that there should be accountability for all crimes against journalists and for that National legislation around the world should be strengthened.
Finally, reaffirming the firm commitment of the Republic of Cyprus in this direction, Mr. Christodoulides supported the need to further strengthen international cooperation in this field, through relevant initiatives such as the 'Alliance for Media Freedom', which the Republic of Cyprus had joined back in April 2020.
Within the framework of the Conference, the "Hague Commitment" to strengthen the security of journalists was adopted by participants.