Nicosia: The government is working consistently, diligently, and responsibly to find a viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem, based on the principles of European and international law, which will ensure the liberation of our homeland, peace, the rights of all lawful inhabitants of the island, and the return to their ancestral homes, will rid the island of occupation troops and anachronistic guarantees, and will strengthen Cyprus's role as a pillar of stability and security in the unstable region of the Eastern Mediterranean and the Middle East, said Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou on Saturday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in a speech at an event organized by the "Digenis Akritas Morphou" Athletic Music and Literature Association to celebrate Epiphany, the Minister of Interior, after noting that the Cyprus problem remains, 51 years later, an open wound for the country, said that the Ministry of the Interior, fully aware of the burden borne by refugees after the Turkish invasion, continues to consistently implement policies to support them, strengthening and relieving the refugee community until their rights are fully restored, with programs to improve housing and living conditions.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.