Half a century after the Turkish invasion against Cyprus, Famagusta is patiently awaiting the return of its people, President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides said Wednesday addressing the photo and multimedia exhibition of Sotiris Danezis, entitled “Famagusta 3.5%”, in Athens.
The President noted that this year marks half a century since the barbaric Turkish invasion, and spoke about the ongoing illegal military occupation and the flagrant violation of the human rights of Cypriots, who are European citizens.
Half a century later, the memory and suffering of that summer continue to haunt us, the President said, adding that half a century later, Famagusta, a city surrounded by barbed wire, remains imprisoned, and patiently awaits the return of its people.
The President also referred to the struggles of the Cypriot people to preserve the memory, end the occupation and achieve reunification of the island.
He said that through the archival material, the taped testimonies and photographs of the exhibition
, the memory and the trauma are revived and said that the fenced off city, the once “Diamond of the East”, remains hostage behind the barbed wire of the occupation.
He pointed out that despite the looting, decay and abandonment, Famagusta remains in our heart as the lively historic city that it was for centuries, before the Turkish invasion.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Varosha, the fenced off section of the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta, is often described as a ‘ghost town’.
UN Security Council resolution 550 (1984) considers any attempts to settle any part of Varosha by people other than its inhabitants as inadmissible and calls for the transfer of this area to the administration of the UN. UN Security Council resolution 789 (1992) also urges that with a view to the implementation of resolution 550 (1984), the area at present under the control of the United Nations Peace-keeping Force in Cyprus be extended to include Varosha.
The Turkish C
ypriot leadership announced in July 2021 a partial lifting of the military status in Varosha. A few months earlier, on October 8, 2020, the Turkish side opened part of the fenced area of Varosha, following an announcement made in Ankara on October 6. The UN Security Council called for the reversal of this course of action, while the UN Secretary General, in his latest report on his mission of good offices in Cyprus, reiterated his concern over developments in the fenced-off area, noting that the position of the UN on Varosha remains unchanged. The EU also expressed grave concern.
Source: Cyprus News Agency