Morphou Municipal Council and the Mayor of Turkish occupied Morphou Victor Hadjiavraam proclaimed President of the Hellenic Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou honorary citizen of Morphou at a ceremony on Friday, at the National Kapodistrian University of Athens.
Accepting her proclamation, President Sakellaropoulou underlined that Greece and Cyprus remain firmly committed to the efforts for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
“Fifty years after the illegal Turkish invasion, Morphou remains under occupation and its inhabitants continue to live as refugees in their own country, while many depart this life without having tasted the redemption of return,” she said.
During her address, she underlined Greece’s determination for the reunification of Cyprus. “Greece and Cyprus remain firmly committed to the efforts for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, on the basis of international law, UN Security Council Resolutions, and the principles of the European Union,” she stressed.
“Our comm
on goal is the reunification of Cyprus, with the abolition of the anachronistic system of guarantees, the withdrawal of occupying troops, and the full protection of human rights of all its legitimate inhabitants,” the President of the Hellenic Republic reiterated.
Against this backdrop, she highlighted the need to “resume negotiations from the point where they were interrupted in Crans Montana’ and expressed the hope that the new UN Secretary General’s Personal Envoy for Cyprus will contribute to this direction.
Addressing the Mayor of Morphou, Sakellaropoulou assured him that “nothing can break our determination to end the occupation and reunify Cyprus.”
“Greece, in constant coordination with the leadership of the Republic of Cyprus, will make every effort until the final and full vindication of the struggle of the Cypriot Hellenism,’ she concluded.
On his part, the Mayor of Morphou, Victor Hadjiavraam presented President Sakellaropoulou with the key of the city and an honorary plaque, noting that her pr
oclamation is a recognition of her support to the occupied Morphou and of her overall contribution to the efforts for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
“The President of the Republic represents for us the values of democracy, freedom, and human dignity,” Mayor Hadjiavraam noted.
“The proclamation of the President of the Hellenic Republic as Honorary Citizen of Morphou is a symbolic step in strengthening our ties with all those who are fighting for the reunification of our homeland and the restoration of justice,” the Mayor of Morphou concluded.
During the ceremony, Deputy Mayor of Morphou Kyriakos Koudounas read the decision for the Greek President’s proclamation, noting that the Municipal Authority wishes to “honour the Greek people and the political and state leadership of Greece for what they have offered to our long-suffering homeland”.
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 yi
eld results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres has appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
Source: Cyprus News Agency