Ministry of Foreign Affairs, condemns in a written statement, the interruption of a church service last Saturday in the Maronite Chapel of St. Anthony in Kythrea.
“The action constitutes a violation of the fundamental human right of freedom of religion, which is protected, inter alia, in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 18),” says the announcement.
The Foreign Minister adds that the presence of representatives of the Turkish Cypriot community in the church, during the service, shows that a significant portion of the Turkish Cypriots disagree with these oppressive practices of the occupation regime.
“Turkey, as an occupying power must respect international humanitarian law and fundamental human rights, such as freedom of religion, which has been demonstrated, inter alia, in the decisions of the ECHR and the report of the UN Special Rapporteur on Religious freedom on his visit to Cyprus in 2012. “
The Government of the Republic calls for respect to human rights and believes that all religious groups must have full control and free access to religious sites and properties in the occupied areas.
It is also noted that this event is not consistent with the effort to create a good climate in ongoing talks to solve the Cyprus problem.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. President Anastasiades and Dervish Eroglu are currently engaged in talks with an aim to reunify the island under a federal roof.
