“50 years away from you…” – We await the blessed time of return, says Simos Ioannou – Extraordinary open session of the Municipal Council of the Municipality of Famagusta
We have been waiting for 50 years for the blessed time of return to our occupied city, said the Mayor of the occupied city Simos Ioannou, expressing the hope that this time will not arrive too late.
In his speech to extraordinary open session of the Famagusta Municipal Council, which took place shortly before noon at the Cultural Center of the Municipality in Deryneia, stated that “it is with great sadness and pain that for another year, 50 years now, we are on the verge of our beloved city and we await the blessed hour, which I hope will not be too late, to return to our city”.
Today, he continued, “an extraordinary open Plenary Session of the Municipal Councilof the occupied Municipality, on the occasion of the abandonment of the city by the inhabitants on August 14. Everyone knows that the Turks entered the city and occupied it on the 15th of August, but the people on the 14th of the month, for fear of bombardment both from the sea and from the air, and knowing since 10 in the morning that its line had already been broken One month later, they left Famagusta believing that they would return soon”.
Mr. Ioannou also mentioned that everyone knows “who are the ones who left the city. It is not the world of Famagusta, as some once criticized the world as having left the city, because the reality is completely different. One day those who left the city undefended must be held accountable while they are still alive.”
From my own personal experience, he continued, “I know exactly what happened that day, because I was a conscript soldier. I know that we passed the evening of August 14, from Famagusta and started shouting to the Battalion Commanders from where to go to Anglisides and not to stay in Famagusta? Unfortunately the orders were different” he noted p>The Mayor of the occupied city then read a statement in which it is stated that today, August 14, “marks 50 years of Turkish occupation of our city, 50 years of our refugee status. The Municipal Council pays tribute to the people of Famagusta, who fell fighting for the defense of our homeland, but also to all our fellow citizens who died in the refugee camps”.
The Municipal Council“he emphasizes that the people of Famagusta remain loyal to the struggle for return, freedom and reunification and that the achievement of this goal is a guarantee for the future of Famagusta, Cyprus and all Cypriots. In this direction, the Municipal Council reaffirms its firm position in favor of finding a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of a Bizonal, Bicommunal Federation, with political equality of the two communities, as determined by the relevant resolutions of the United Nations and which provides for a state with one sovereignty, one international personality and one citizenship”.
At the same time, the Chamber “condemns Turkey's illegal and provocative actions in Famagusta, which create new facts that work against the prospect of returning to our city in violation of the relevant resolutions of the United Nations Security Council. Turkey's goal is to perpetuate and legitimize the partition, which cannot be achieved as long as the possibility of returning to our city remains feasible and realistic.”
For this reason, the announcement states, the Municipal Council “looks forward to the immediate resumption of negotiations, from the point where they were interrupted in 2017 in Crans Montana, based on the Guterres Framework and all the convergences achieved to date. The resumption of talks, under the auspices of the UN Secretary General, is the only way to save our city and reach a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem”.
It is also added that “the return of Famagusta to the its legal residents, can be the key that will unlock and give impetus to the whole process. Despite the pain we have been carrying as Famagusta residents for 50 years, we cling to the hope that Famagusta will once again be a center of flourishing and creation in a free and reunited Cyprus”, concludes the announcement of the Municipal Council of the occupied city.
It is noted that the announcement was approved by a majority of the members of the Municipal Council present.
Then the Mayor and the members of the Municipal Council, holding a banner that read “50 years away from you… ” and posters with the parishes located in the municipal boundaries of the occupied Famagusta, were photographed against the background of the occupied city.
