Nicosia: The Minister of Interior has approved the payment of a housing allowance to students who choose to return to their home villages in the Turkish-occupied north, mirroring the support extended to enclaved students. This initiative is part of a broader government scheme aimed at supporting individuals who decide to return to their Turkish-occupied homes.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Head of Humanitarian Affairs for Missing Persons and the Enclaved, Anna Aristotelous, confirmed that the proposal for housing allowances, recently submitted by her office to the Minister of Interior, Constantinos Ioannou, has been swiftly approved. This decision underscores the government’s commitment to supporting young individuals in their pursuit of higher education, despite the challenges they face.
Aristotelous highlighted that students who have returned to the Turkish-occupied north and are attending educational institutions in the government-controlled areas face significant challenges. Their families, restricted by the occupation regime to employment in agriculture and livestock farming, earn particularly low incomes, making the allowances they receive insufficient.
“Our primary goal,” said Aristotelous, “is to provide substantial support and create incentives for the retention and repatriation to our occupied villages. By maintaining the presence of the enclaved and repatriated individuals, we safeguard our cultural identity and the historical continuity of our land.” She assured that the government remains committed to this objective.
Cyprus has experienced division since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Despite numerous rounds of UN-led peace talks, a resolution has not been achieved. The latest negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ended without a conclusive outcome.
UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres announced plans for an informal meeting on Cyprus at the end of July, following a previous meeting in Geneva. Guterres also mentioned the appointment of a new personal envoy on Cyprus to facilitate the next steps, alongside initiatives such as opening crossing points and forming a Technical Committee on Youth.
In the aftermath of the invasion, approximately 20,000 Greek Cypriots remained in the Turkish-occupied areas. Over the years, their numbers have dwindled due to harsh living conditions and restrictions imposed on their daily lives. The Republic of Cyprus, in recent years, has provided incentives for people to resettle in their places of origin within the Turkish-occupied areas, benefiting both Greek Cypriots and Maronites, in regions such as Rizokarpaso, Agia Triada, Karpasia, and Kormakitis.