Minister of Justice and Public Order Anna Koukkides-Procopiou highlighted the immediate initiatives taken by Cyprus President Nikos Christodoulides to revive negotiations for a solution to the Cyprus issue. In this context, she pointed out that today, Sunday, the Assistant Secretary General of the United Nations, Miroslav Jenca, is visiting Cyprus.
Speaking at a memorial service for the members of the Turkish-occupied community of Acheritou who lost their lives while defending the country, the Minister stressed the commitment of President Christodoulides and of the Cypriot government to resuming talks, despite the intransigent stance of the Turkish and Turkish Cypriot side.
"The President of the Republic and the Cypriot government acted swiftly upon assuming the administration of the country, engaging both the European Union and the United Nations, with the aim of reinitiating negotiations. We have an obligation to continue the struggle, despite the difficulties, until justice prevails," she said.
Referring to recent events in Pyla, Minister Prokopiou noted that these once again revealed the "true nature of the conqueror." She also said that the immediate response of the Christodoulides administration garnered widespread international condemnation from the United Nations Security Council, the European Union, the United States, and the international community.
On Friday August 18,2023 Turkish Cypriots punched and kicked a group of international peacekeepers who obstructed crews illegally working on a road that would encroach on a U.N. controlled buffer zone. The attack happened as peacekeepers stood in the way of work crews building a road to connect the Turkish occupied village of Arsos with the mixed Greek Cypriot-Turkish Cypriot village of Pyla, inside the buffer zone.
The Minister added that the ultimate objective remains the resumption of the process to find a solution to the Cyprus issue, in line with the United Nations resolutions for a bicommunal, bizonal federation with political equality, the safeguarding of European acquis, and the removal of guarantees and occupation troops.
Minister Prokopiou also underscored the government's commitment to pursuing a solution that ensures the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the entire Cypriot population, allowing peaceful coexistence and security in the land of their ancestors. She affirmed that the search for the fate of all the missing persons will never cease.
Acheritou, a village with a predominantly Greek population until the summer of 1974, lies just ten kilometers west of Famagusta. On the morning of August 31, 1974, Turkish soldiers invaded the village with its residents fleeing in fear and panic to save themselves.
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.
Source: Cyprus News Agency