June is a critical month for the Cyprus issue President Nikos Christodoulides said on Friday, adding that he is hoping for positive developments. Addressing a photo exhibition organised by Press and Information Office (PIO) entitled "50 years of Turkish invasion and occupation" the President said that half a century after the invasion, the pain and agony are still deep. He said that the invasion and destruction of 1974 is a constant point of reference for every citizen of Cyprus who is still suffering from the traumas of the destruction and tragedy. The President pledged once again that despite the challenges, difficulties and problems we are faced with, "we do not come to terms with the occupation and the present state of affairs cannot be the future of our homeland." He noted that "we have no choice but to continue the effort to overturn the faits accomplis for the reunification of our country and we are working to this end with actions and deeds and not just words in order to create the conditions for the resumption of the talks." The President said that we encourage the efforts by the UN Secretary General and his personal envoy, recalling that it is because of our efforts that the new attempt began. He said that "June is critical because the SG envoy will prepare her report and we are hoping for positive developments", adding that we are informed about several attempts that are taking place especially from some countries that show a special interest in the direction of the resumption of the Cyprus talks. He said that the photo exhibition as well as the short film "Operation Museum" are nothing but medleys of our collective memory, deep and authentic documents of the time, which record in the most graphic way the pain on the faces of our compatriots who despite the pain and loss tried to rebuild their lives. He also said that the short film is an account of the gigantic effort by the then Director of the Department of Antiquities Vasos Karagiorgis to save the exhibits of the Cyprus Museum during the Tu rkish invasion of 1974. He said that the aim of the film is to raise awareness about the 1974 events and to educate the younger generations, bringing to light unseen sides of the history of our country. Director of the Press and Information Office Aliki Stylianou said that 50 days before the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion the PIO brings to light unseen sides of the events through its archive, through a total of 69 photographs from an exhibition of the PIO that traveled the world in 1975 to inform about the catastrophe in Cyprus. She said that the exhibit includes a short film that is the shocking account of the effort to save the exhibits of the Cyprus Museum during the invasion. Cypriot artists' accounts of how they experienced the invasion and how it affected their artistic career are also presented. These references, she said, were included in the production of films by the PIO named "Art in the city". The exhibition also includes a collector's edition for the anniversary of the invasion and o ccupation with 110 photographs from the PIO archive. 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. UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres appointed Holguín last January 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
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