The Cyprus Question| A brief Introduction 7 Message from the President of the Republic, Mr Nikos Christodoulides, on the 50th anniversary of the Turkish invasion Sadly, this year is marked by a grim milestone for our country. It marks fifty years since the tragic summer of 1974 which divided Cyprus – and our souls – in two. That tragic summer profoundly left its mark on the lives and future of our homeland. Fifty years have passed since the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, with all its devastating consequences and inflicted suffering. The occupying troops, the separation and long-term division of the land and its people. The brutal murders, the rapes, the unjust loss of thousands of lives, amongst them children, the violent uprooting of thousands of families from their domicile. Fifty years of inquiring about the fate of our missing persons. Fifty years of ongoing, illegal military occupation of more than 36% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus. Fifty years of violating fundamental freedoms and human rights of all Cypriots. Fifty years of illegal settlement, demographic, religious and cultural alteration of our land in the occupied areas. Fifty years is far too long. It is time for peace, liberation and for the reunification of our country. It is our duty and obligation to bequeath a free, reunited and prosperous homeland to our children, a member state of the European Union, where fundamental freedoms are safeguarded and defended, as it is the case in all member states of the European Union. It is our duty to do so on behalf of the thousands who have heroically lost their lives whilst defending the Republic of Cyprus on the front lines. To all those who remain enclaved in the occupied areas despite adversities and continuous hardship. As the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, born only a few months before the Turkish invasion and raised in a de facto divided Cyprus, my vision is the reunification of my country and its people, so that we can all live in peace, security and prosperity. I have been serving this vision from the very first day I assumed my duties, and I assure you that I will continue to work towards this end with assertive realism, fortitude and determination. My aim is none other than achieving a viable and lasting solution on the basis of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, as defined by relevant United Nations Security Council resolutions and within the framework of the principles and values of the European Union. This is the only way forward for a prosperous future for us and our children, in a modern European state with a substantial role and voice in regional and European developments, for a homeland without barbed wires and occupying troops.
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MzU4MTg0