Nicosia: We do not compromise with the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, said the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, adding that our main goal is the resumption of the negotiation process.
According to Cyprus News Agency, in her address at a concert held on Friday evening in Nicosia, during the World Annual Conference of Diaspora Cypriots, the Minister emphasized that fifty-one years of occupation is not just a date, but ‘half a century of a wound, half a century of a memory that hurts, but also of hope that persists.’ She reiterated that the struggle continues as long as there is even one Cypriot who speaks of the homeland and dreams of return.
Athena Michaelidou noted that the President of the Republic is collaborating with his colleagues through diplomatic channels to achieve a comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem. She stated that the primary objective is to resume negotiations based on UN Resolutions on Cyprus, the European acquis, and principles of international legality. The vision for Cyprus is to establish an independent state free from occupying armies, outdated guarantees, and foreign interventions, to ensure progress, security, and prosperity for all legal residents.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following the invasion and occupation of its northern third by Turkish troops. Efforts for peace talks under UN auspices have repeatedly failed, with the last negotiations in 2017 at Crans-Montana ending without a resolution.