We look ahead to build a prosperous and peaceful country, a country proud of being an EU member state, President of the Republic Nicos Anastasiades has said.
Addressing an event marking the anniversaries of the coup d` etat against the Republic of Cyprus and the Turkish invasion in 1974, that took place in the Presidential Palace, the President said that
41 years ago the worst tragedy hit our country and he referred to the thousands of refugees, dead and missing persons.
“Tonight we gathered here to pay tribute to those who lost their lives and we send the message that we join hands and walk together to liberate our country from the Turkish occupation and bring peace and prosperity to the island”, he said.
Tonight, he added, we condemn the Turkish invasion and stress that the consequences of the invasion will never be accepted and that we will continue our struggle for the liberation and reunification of Cyprus.
“We look ahead to build a prosperous country, proud of being an EU member state”, he went on to note.
The President also said that “when we should have, we did not do our utmost to protect our democratic institutions, nor did we do our utmost to create the necessary bridges between the two communities, leaving the Turkish Cypriot community in the hands of the Turkish propaganda”.
Referring to the Cyprus problem, he said that “finally, we can discuss (with the new Turkish Cypriot leadership) and negotiate with mutual respect so that we can achieve a solution that would change today`s unacceptable status quo”.
“We try, through cooperation to build that framework that would make Cypriots the masters of their own homeland”, he said.
Referring to Cyprus` accession to the EU in May 2004, he said that this was achieved through the efforts and the hard work of our people and said that the EU offers those parameters to achieve and implement a genuine reunification of our country.
He also spoke about Cyprus` role in the wider region of the Middle East and recalled that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, High Representative of the European Union for Foreign and Security Policy, Federica Mogherini and Foreign Minister of the UAE will pay Cyprus separate visits this month.
“These are visits that highlight our country as a country that can play a role of peace in the region.
We would be able to highlight this specific role in the best possible way if hopefully we solve soon our national problem and give our country the role it deserves in the world”, he stressed.
The President said that 41 years have passed since the Turkish invasion, years full of pain, bitterness and sadness, adding that during those years “we proved that we can transform pain into a miracle of creation and that we can lead our country out of the ashes and lift it up”.
“We owe it to the generations to come, to deliver them a free country, a country without occupation armies, a country that will guarantee the peace and co-creation of all its people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike”, he concluded.
The Republic of Cyprus, an EU member state since May 2004, is divided by the Turkish military since the invasion in the summer of 1974. UN led talks to reunify the island under a federal roof are underway.
