Nicosia, Cyprus, February 16, 2026. — The President of the Cyprus Peace Council, Mr. Tasos Costeas, reaffirmed “a strong condemnation of the genocide that still persists against the Palestinian people in Gaza and against the ongoing blockade and threats against Cuba" during the 2025 Peace Prize award ceremony in this capital.
The statement was made this Monday at the fourth consecutive edition of the 2025 Peace Prize, awarded by the eponymous Council of Cyprus to recognize individuals and organized groups whose actions have contributed to the preservation of peace on the Eastern Mediterranean island.
Cuba was represented by its ambassador in Nicosia, Rubén Pino Martínez, who witnessed the distinction awarded to the Committee on Missing Persons in Cyprus (CMP) and the Bicommunal Choir for Peace “Lena Melanidau” as examples of humanitarian actions and bicommunal cooperation in the joint effort to preserve peaceful coexistence on the island.
As noted by its organizing committee, the award from the Cypriot Peace Council is already recognized as an institution, as it emphasizes the need to preserve hope for peace not only in Cyprus but also worldwide, promoting the unity of peoples and nations, friendship, solidarity, brotherhood, and cooperation as basic principles for its presentation.
In this context, the President of the Cyprus Peace Council, Mr. Tasos Costeas, reaffirmed “a strong condemnation of the blockade and the threats that currently exist against Cuba,” as well as “of the genocide that the Palestinian people in Gaza are still experiencing and the ‘apartheid’ tactics imposed in the West Bank, the deliberate humanitarian crisis created by Israel with devastating consequences for that civilian population, where the policies of the current Israeli state constitute an insult to humanity, to its history, and to civilization.”
He also reflected on how “militarization is taking up an increasingly larger space in public discourse and shaping a new and dangerous political logic, and the insistence on military solutions represents a profound distortion that fosters corruption and undermines the rule of law” (...) where it is “promoted the belief that problems can be solved through violence or the threat of violence, whether in relations between states, in our societies, or in everyday life,” he specified.
This 2025 edition focused on the values that today distinguish the Committee of Missing Persons, created in 1981 by leaders of the Greek-Cypriot and Turkish-Cypriot communities, and the Bicommunal Choir for Peace “Lena Melanidou,” the latter for promoting cooperation through the power of volunteerism and culture, demonstrating that “it is not merely an artistic union, but a living example of social inclusion, which through its music reminds us that Cypriot culture and our shared identity are true bridges capable of uniting the island.” Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus.
Present at the evening event were Mr. Khassim Diagne, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and a substantial representation of the Diplomatic Corps accredited in Cyprus.
Embassy of Cuba in Cyprus.