The Foreign Ministry condemned on Wednesday the refusal by the Turkish Cypriot occupation regime to grant permission to local authorities of the Republic of Cyprus, in order to hold holy mass in four churches in Cyprus` northern Turkish occupied areas.
“This constitutes a violation of the fundamental human right to freedom of religion, which is protected, among others, by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights” an official announcement says, with the Ministry also citing the European Human Rights Convention.
According to the Foreign Ministry, permission was refused for the churches of Prophet Elias and Agia Marina in Tympou, the church of Agia Paraskevi in Agios Theodoros of Karpasia and the church of Agia Marina in Kythrea.
Recently, another holy mass was interrupted at the Maronite chapel of Agios Antonios in Kythrea.
This incident is not consistent with the effort to create a positive climate in the ongoing talks for a Cyprus solution, the announcement concludes.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied its northern third. A new round of talks started last February, with the aim to reunite the country under a federal roof.