In unity we can achieve a lot, President of Cyprus Nicos Anastasiades said Tuesday evening, after the performance of the bi-communal musical group “Kyproyenia” in the event entitled “Under the Moonlight” at the Othello Tower in the Turkish occupied town of Famagusta.
The event was attended by the leaders of the two communities on the island, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades and Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci, the negotiators in the Cyprus talks, Andreas Mavroyiannis and Ozdil Nami, representatives of political parties, foreign diplomats including the UN Secretary General`s Special Advisor on Cyprus Espen Barth Eide and Lisa M. Buttenheim, Special Representative and Head of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).
In his statements after the event, Anastasiades said “I am quite happy because I am visiting part of my country and I am not one of those who are discriminating between north and south”.
“I am one who believes in our common homeland and this is what we are trying with my friend Mustafa, to reunify the island, always on the basis of the principles we have agreed, for a bizonal bicommunal federation, based on the protection of human rights, the protection of the four freedoms, to build up a modern country like all the other member states of the EU”, he stressed.
President Anastasiades noted that both him and the Turkish Cypriot leader are committed to “work tirelessly to find the soonest possible a solution which will give the right to every Cypriot to feel free and to share our treasures, our cultural heritage, which is our own treasure”.
“I wish the best to every Cypriot and I am making a plea to those who might have objections: as my friend Mustafa has said, in unity we can succeed a lot, in separation the only thing we can witness is the bitterness from the past. Let’s see the future”, the Cypriot President concluded.
The Turkish Cypriot leader said that “on the 8th of June we were toghether with Mr Anastasiades, my friend Nicos, in Limassol for a theatre play we watched together. Tonight we are here in Famagusta so once in the south and now in the north. The idea is that Cyprus is our homeland, be it Limassol or be it Famagusta that doesn’t make any difference”.
Akinci said that we want to create a situation “where every spot on this island will belong to all of us”.
“The translation of these words of course is the solution based on federal principles that it has been envisaged in the 11 of February 2014 agreement, the joint declaration. We are working for that, we are working very hard and of course we need the support of our respective communities”, he pointed out.
Akinci said that “culture unites us” and expressed the view that “we have to repeat this more often”.
“Our generations have suffered and have shared the grievances. We say ‘enough’ to that and we want the younger generations to share the benefits of this beautiful island. It is high time to create the conditions for a solution and I also want to add that we don’t have much time”, he concluded.
The Republic of Cyprus has been divided since the Turkish invasion in 1974. Turkey still occupies 37% of this Mediterranean EU island`s territory.