He attended the memorial service of the heroes of the community of the Statue of Agios Photios in the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior
Fifty years after the Turkish invasion and occupation of our island, our goal is the liberation of our homeland, without occupiers armies and invasive rights of other countries, with the human rights and basic freedoms of all legal residents guaranteed, said Deputy Minister of Culture Dr. Vassiliki Kassianidou
Ms. Kassianidou was speaking on Tuesday in morning at commemoration of the heroes of the community of Statou Agios Photios in the Holy Church of the Transfiguration of the Savior, in Statos Agios Photios.
Because, as he said, 50 years is a long time, because for 50 years we experience the trauma of an open wound , of an unacceptable state of affairs.
A situation continued that left behind 37% of the Cypriot territory illegally occupied by the invading forces, that left behind the violent uprooting of our refugees from their ancestral homes, that left so many families of missing people holding on to the hope that it will be determined the fate of their loved ones, which allowed our trapped people to remain, despite the pressures and difficulties, in their place, guarding their own Thermopylae until the day of liberation.
He pointed out that the Turkish intransigencecontinues since 1974 to violate every principle of law and to proceed with the colonization of our island, to not respect the basic freedoms and fundamental rights of the legal inhabitants of the island, to sell off our cultural heritage and to destroy our churches.
Despite the fact that Turkey has consistently refused to act with good will and a spirit of cooperation, we have no other choice, he added, than to continue with vigor and determination to claim the rights of our country .
“That is why we will continue to work hardso as to create the prospects for the resumption of meaningful talks. And this is reflected in all the efforts made by President Christodoulidis and the Republic of Cyprus in this direction”, he added.
The appointment of the Personal Envoy of the Secretary General of the United Nations is the result of the initiative taken by the President of the Republic and thanks to his persistent attitude it became possible, said the Deputy Minister of Culture.
“Reiterating at every opportunity his readiness to come to the negotiating table and resume the talks from where they left off in Crans Montana, he is working with determination to end the current unacceptable occupation status quo, always aiming to find a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework and based on European principles and values”, said Ms. Kassianidou.
We are fighting, she continued, for a solution that will end the occupation and settlement, for a solution that is functional and sustainable which will reunite the people and the land.
A solution which will rid Cyprus of foreign troops and foreign dependencies and restore and guarantee inalienable human rights and the basic freedoms of all Cypriots, so that they can live in a free homeland where only its legal residents, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins, will decide on their future, as he said.
“We will never give up the fight for the reunification of our homeland,” he said.
