The 42nd Morphou Memory Days culminated on Sunday with the anti-occupation march of Morphou and the occupied communities of the Morphou District in the village of Astromeritis.
The events began with a memorial service for the fallen and a prayer for the finding of the missing and the return of the refugees to their ancestral homes at the Church of St. Avxivios in Astromeritis, in the presence of, among others, the President of the Republic, Nicos Anastasiades, the President of the Parliament, Annita Demetriou, a representative of the Greek Parliament, leaders and representatives of political parties, Ambassadors, Mayors and Municipal Councils, foreign dignitaries.
In his address the Mayor of Morphou Victor Hadjiavraam said that the stagnation of the Cyprus problem over the last many years, the long interruption of any form of negotiation between the two sides, as well as international political developments, have resulted in the Cyprus problem being completely forgotten and we no longer hear almost any mention by the international community.
Hadjiavraam said that the struggle to preserve the memory of our occupied territories, the struggle to preserve the sense of injustice for what is happening in Cyprus in the conscience of the international community is the duty of all of us.
“The struggle for the reunification of our homeland can only be the duty of all Cypriots. But the heaviest debt, as is logical, falls on the shoulders of the government of the day. It was the debt of the present Government and it will be the debt of the next one, since we will have elections in a few months. The message I want to convey, and I think it is a message to all Cypriots, is that whoever is there will have to do better than all the previous ones,” he added.
“However, we should all accept that the outcome was not the desired one. Therefore, obviously something has to be done better this time since the present situation cannot continue. It is not even an option since we already see the occupying power revealing its long-standing aspirations for a two-state solution,” he noted.
He added that it is now clear that unless we finally find a mutually acceptable solution to the Cyprus problem, no one can guarantee our future and it is more than possible that things will get much worse.
The expectation of a return to Morphou was expressed in turn by Greek and British officials that participated in the ceremony.
The President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, in her greeting, which was read by the Ambassador of Greece in Nicosia, Ioannis Papameletiou, congratulated the Municipality of Morphou for keeping “unquenched and alive the expectation of return” through these events.
Sakellaropoulou stressed that “the termination of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of the island as a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with one sovereignty, one international personality and one citizenship as provided for by the relevant United Nations resolutions and with the unhindered implementation of the European acquis in the entire Cypriot territory, is a constant concern and priority of Greece and Cyprus”.
The Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament and PASOK MP for Arcadia, Odysseas Konstantinopoulos, said in his greeting that he feels anger and sadness “for those that allowed the treasonous coup and the Turkish invasion”, as well as because Europe has tolerated Turkish provocativeness many times and because even today EU member states sell arms to Turkey and there is no embargo.
At the same time, he noted that he felt proud of Hellenism and of those who fought against the Turkish invader and expressed hope that by continuing the struggle to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem based on the framework set by the UN resolutions, that day will come “when there will be normality in Cyprus”.
For his part, British MP and honorary citizen of Morphou, Pambos Charalambous, suggested that “48 years of occupation is way too long and we need to do much more to put pressure on Turkey”.
He also noted that there must be justice for the families of the missing, the refugees, Morphou and Cyprus.
“In the UK you have many friends in parliament. We want to see a bizonal, bicommunal federation, we will push for that as much as we can, we want to make sure that there is a just solution for Cyprus, but soon,” Charalambous stressed.
British MP and honorary citizen of Morphou, Sir Roger Gale, in his address, which was read by Kyriakos Koudounas, Deputy Mayor of Morphou, stressed that for 39 years, as a member of the House of Commons and the UK’s All-Party Parliamentary Group for Cyprus, which he chairs, he has supported the idea of the reunification of Cyprus “on fair and acceptable terms”.
“It is an outrage that for almost half a century, two generations, a part of Cyprus remains under the occupation of another member state of the Council of Europe, of which Cyprus is of course also a full and constructive member,” he added.
Following the Russian invasion of Ukraine, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe took strong measures against Russia, Gale said, adding that so far, no such measures have ever been taken against another member state, Turkey. “This is unacceptable and must stop,” he pointed out.
“I look forward to the day that together with my Cypriot friends I can walk the streets of a free and liberated Morphou and my parliamentary colleagues and I will stand by you for as long as it takes until that becomes a reality,” Gale concluded.
After the ceremonial part, the march to the Memorial of the Fallen began, where wreaths were laid, followed by the delivery of a protest petition by the residents of Morphou District to the head of the UN peacekeeping force.
In the resolution, addressed to the UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres, the Municipality of Morphou, the occupied communities of the Morphou Department and the organized groups of the city, state that on the occasion of the 42nd Morphou Anti-Occupation March and the 48th anniversary of the occupation of Morphou by the Turkish troops, they condemn once again the barbaric Turkish invasion of 1974 which left behind thousands of dead and missing persons, the continued occupation of 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and the forcible displacement of 200 thousand Greek Cypriots from their homes and properties.
They note that Turkey, with its revisionist policy and in complete disregard for international law, even today, continues to escalate its provocations with unacceptable and reprehensible actions, such as those in Famagusta, aimed at serving its goal of changing the basis of the Cyprus settlement, while refusing to engage in talks to find a solution.
“For our part, we reaffirm our commitment to a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality as defined by the relevant UN resolutions. The solution should include the following provisions: One state with one sovereignty, one international personality and one nationality; Removal of occupying troops and guarantees; Restoration and safeguarding of human rights and fundamental freedoms of all legal residents of Cyprus; The reunification of our homeland and our people; Return of all refugees to their homes and properties in conditions of freedom and security; and verification of the fate of the missing persons,” they added.
They also state that “your contribution to our ongoing struggle and efforts for freedom and justice is of the utmost importance and therefore we appeal, once again, to both the United Nations and the European Union, as well as to the permanent members of the Security Council, to exert their influence on Turkey so that its intransigent, unacceptable and provocative stance can be reversed and it engages in talks based on international law.”
They also note that treating Turkey with only rhetorical declarations in opposition to sanctions and measures against Russia because of its invasion of Ukraine does not satisfy them.
“Cyprus can be an example of reconciliation, peace, prosperity and stability, not only for the Eastern Mediterranean, but for all of humanity. We call for the resumption of the talks within the framework of the United Nations and the principles and values of the European Union and we declare our unwavering will to continue the struggle until the final vindication and the end of the occupation”, the Municipality of Morphou, the occupied communities of the Morphou district and the organised groups of the city conclude in their petition.
Source: Cyprus News Agency