Government: ‘No point in any solution for the sake of it’

THIRTY-three years after the Turkish invasion of 1974, the state and church yesterday united to condemn the continuing occupation and to honour those who died during the war.

Archbishop Chrysostomos held a memorial service at Phaneromeni Church in Nicosia and called for the withdrawal of Turkish forces, the return of refugees to their homes and the location of the missing persons.

In a speech following the service, Defence Minister Christodoulos Pashiardis said there was no point in a solution just for the sake of a solution, just so the Cyprus problem could be closed.

“The justifiable concern for everything that is going on in the occupied areas with the exploitation of our land cannot make us repent for the so-called sin we committed three years ago by rejecting the Annan plan,” Pashiardis told attendants.
President Tassos Papadopoulos described the anniversary as “an ill-omened day”, saying our thoughts and hearts should be with those who sacrificed their lives to save our national dignity.

House President Demetris Christofias said yesterday’s main message was for an end to the occupation and justice for Cyprus.
Party leaders also expressed their sadness over the anniversary.
The Cypriots’ Union in Greece took part in an all-night demonstration in Athens, holding 33 candles to symbolise the years of occupation.
In London, a picket was held outside the Turkish Embassy by the National Cypriot Federation in the UK.

The organisation Lobby for Cyprus organised a protest outside 10 Downing Street.
Representatives of Cyprus met with members of Congress in the US to discuss the Turkish invasion. They called on the deputies to use their power to remove Turkish forces from Cyprus.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.