LONDON: The Board of British Cypriots has reached out to European Union officials, urging them to help put an end to the Turkish occupation of Cyprus, which has persisted for nearly five decades. The group has sent letters to top EU officials, including EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs Kaja Kallas and European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Chief David McAllister, seeking their influence to highlight the ongoing division of Cyprus.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the diaspora organization based in London has implored these EU leaders to utilize their positions to bring international attention to what they describe as an “illegal occupation” that continues to divide the Mediterranean island. The signatories of the letters, who are members of the Board of British Cypriots, hope that with EU support, a resolution to the island’s division could be achieved.
The letters detail the human suffering that has resulted since Turkey’s 1974 invasion of Cyprus and criticize ongoing actions by Turkey that they argue undermine the sovereign rights of the Republic of Cyprus. The correspondence also emphasizes the board’s belief that a solution remains out of reach as long as Turkey insists on establishing a separate Turkish Cypriot state in the occupied territories.
The letters were signed by several board members, including Doros Partasides, Antonis Savvides, Stella Protopapa-Dinenis, Nikos Savvides, Marie Nicholsby, Spyros Neophytou, Elissa Xenophontos, John Stergides, Spyros Papacharalambous, Dr. Savvas Hadjiphilipou, Antonis Demetriou, and George Hadjipavlis. Cyprus has been divided since 1974 following Turkey’s invasion and occupation of its northern third. Efforts to resolve the conflict through UN-led peace talks have repeatedly stalled, with the latest negotiations in July 2017 at Crans-Montana, Switzerland, ending without a conclusive agreement.