Athens and Nicosia are united by common aspirations and goals for the liberation of Cyprus, the President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Sunday, in statements in Thessaloniki where attends celebrations for the city’s Patron Saint, St. Demetrius, as an honourary guest alongside the President of the Hellenic Republic, Konstantinos Tasoulas.
Moreover, Christodoulides noted that on Sunday the first Chair of Cypriot Studies will be inaugurated at Aristotle University so that “the Republic of Cyprus honours Thessaloniki and Macedonia.”
The President said that “it is a great honor to represent Cypriot Hellenism, to represent the Cypriot people at the official celebration for Saint Demetrius, at the official doxology for the liberation of the city.
“The majority of Cypriots who lost their lives outside Cyprus were here, on the blessed soil of Macedonia,” said Christodoulides, emphasizing that the two countries are united by common aspirations and common goals.
“Through continuous coordination, we are working to achieve our goals, with the ultimate goal of liberating Cyprus and ending the Turkish occupation. Fifty-one years later, the territories of Cyprus, the territories of an important part of Hellenism, remain under occupation. And as long as this illegal situation continues, we have no choice but to do everything we can to reunite our homeland,” Christodoulides underlined.
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.
