Fifty years after the Turkish invasion and the ongoing occupation, we owe it to our heroes to ensure unity among us so that we can claim a just, viable and functional solution to Cyprus problem, in line with the European acquis and relevant UN resolutions without occupying troops and invasive rights, stressed Education Minister Athena Michaelides in her speech at the national memorial service of the EOKA 1955-1959 hero, Georgios Papaverkiou, held on Sunday in Pano Arodes, Paphos.
She added that “we owe our heroes a solution that will liberate and reunite our country, that will respect and guarantee the human rights of all citizens, but also ensure the historical continuity of our nation in our homeland, a solution that will do justice to their struggle and sacrifice and that will allow all the Cypriot people to benefit from the promising prospects of a reunited homeland within the EU’.
“Vindicating the sacrifice of both the hero Georgios Papaverkiou and all those who have fought for the preservation of our
national dignity by demonstrating unparalleled patriotism and courage, we will continue our struggle to secure the future of our country,” she concluded.
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