Nicosia is actively pursuing the termination of Turkish occupation and the reunification of Cyprus through a peaceful settlement, said Deputy Minister of Shipping Marina Hadjimanoli on Sunday.
She emphasised the necessity of a solution based on the relevant resolutions of the United Nations, the decisions of the Security Council, and in line with the principles and values of the European Union.
“The primary concern of President Nikos Christodoulides is to work with all our strengths to achieve a solution for an independent and truly sovereign state, free from any anachronistic guarantees and the presence of occupying forces,” said Hadjimanoli at the annual memorial service for the heroes of EOKA 1955-1959 in the community of Chloraka.
“The heavy legacy we honour today dictates our duty to relentlessly strive for the termination of occupation, the unity of the state, and the safeguarding of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of the entire Cypriot people,” she noted.
Cyprus has been divided since 197
4, 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 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