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Cyprus News Agency: News in English, 10-11-21Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next ArticleFrom: The Cyprus News Agency at <http://www.cyna.org.cy>CONTENTS
[01] PRESIDENT CHRISTOFIAS - ARMENIANS IN CYPRUSCyprus and its people have been and will always be present at important milestones of Armenian history, President of the Republic Demetris Christofias has said to an Armenian congregation, in his address at a special church service to mark a religious celebration at the local Armenian church, read by Undersecretary to the President Titos Christofides.Cyprus was and will be present and support Armenians at adverse and bad moments of history, he said, adding that it will also be present during times of joy and success. The fact that Cyprus was the first European country to approve, in 1982, a resolution recognising the Armenian Genocide, at the initiative of the Armenian Religious Group Representative at the Cyprus House of Representatives, is neither accidental nor should it go unnoticed, he noted. President Christofias also spoke of the Armenian community in Cyprus, saying that it has managed to emerge as a group which promotes progress and prosperity in Cyprus as a result of the perseverance, hard work and talent of the Armenians living here. We all share the same feeling of pride when fellow Armenian citizens become powerful business players, scientists, academics and artists and find themselves among the most distinguished people of this small country, thus honouring Cyprus and its people here and abroad, he said. This is the case, he added, for all the religious groups of Cyprus Armenians, Maronites and Latins - who are an indispensable part of the Cyprus people, as they constitute a component part of the islands multicultural society. The particular characteristics of your culture, he said, as well as the cultures of all the other religious groups enrich the multicultural tradition of our people, noting that the government is always ready to resolve any problems the religious groups are faced with. The respect and preservation of your identity will always be central in our efforts, he added. He also noted that the efforts for the reunification of Cyprus and its people will continue with insistence, good will and the assertion that the political settlement that will reunite Cyprus must be based on principles. This, Christofides said is amply proven by the President of the Republics stance during the latest meetings in New York. The goal, he said, is a bi-zonal, bi-communal, federal Cyprus, with a single sovereignty, a single nationality and a single international personality characterized by unity of the institutions, the economy and the people. Cyprus has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. Peace talks are currently underway to find a negotiated settlement that will reunite the country, under a federal roof. Cyprus comprises two communities, the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot community. Armenians, Maronites and Latins living in Cyprus, who make up about two per cent of the population, opted in 1960 when the Republic of Cyprus was established, to be part of the Greek Cypriot community. All three religious groups are represented at the House of Representatives by one person, who does not have the right to vote. [02] HOUSE PRESIDENT - ARMENIAN GENOCIDEMarios Garoyian, President of the House of Representatives, has called for the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, saying that Turkey, the perpetrator of this crime, can no longer go unpunished. Today we turn our memory to the Armenian Genocide, a crime against humanity which is still unpunished, and we call once more on the international community to recognise this heinous crime, he said in his address at a special church service to mark a religious celebration at the local Armenian church, adding that the historical truth must be recorded.Garoyian pointed out that Turkey, the big culprit, must bear the consequences of its actions and described Ankaras attempts to make peace with Armenia as devious, saying they lack any shred of credibility. These are moves and initiatives to deceive the Armenians and distort history and as such are rejected by the Armenian people, he stressed. The House President, an Armenian himself, said Armenians are also fighting for justice in Cyprus, their homeland, which has been divided since the 1974 Turkish invasion. We are striving for a just, functional and viable solution, and we call on the international community to deal with Turkeys intransigence and boldness in a decisive manner so that Cyprus regains its freedom, democracy, justice and prosperity for all its legal citizens, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins, he added. [03] CYPRUS PEACE PROCESS - GAROYIANThe Greek Cypriot side must claim with a decisive manner what it is entitled to and Turkey must pay the price for its continuous intransigent stance in efforts to find a negotiated settlement in Cyprus, President of the House of Representatives Marios Garoyian has stressed. Commenting on the outcome of a meeting in New York on the Cyprus peace process, he noted that risks which the political leadership had highlighted prior to the meeting did not materialize, adding however that some players in the international community will continue to press for an international conference on Cyprus and for timeframes.We have to claim what is rightfully ours, with determination. The President of the Republic handled the situation in New York as agreed, he said, referring to Thursdays meeting between President Christofias, the Turkish Cypriot leader Dervis Eroglu and the UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon. Ban set a new meeting with Christofias and Eroglu in late January and called on them to accelerate the pace of the ongoing talks and try to reach more convergences on the issues under discussion. Turkey, the House President said, is the big problem as it disregards international law and acts in an audacious and unacceptable manner. Attempts by the international community to impose what it has had in mind for a while now have not yielded results, at least at Thursdays meeting during which President Christofias made it clear that the peace process must not change, Garoyian said. [04] CYPRIOT MPs - LIBYA - VISITA delegation of Cypriot MPs, comprising the President of the Parliamentary Committee of Foreign Affairs Averof Neofytou, Demetris Syllouris, Andreas Angelides, Aristos Aristotelous and Giorgos Varnava, will visit Libya next week. The visit takes place at the invitation of the Secretary of Foreign Affairs Committee of Libya`s Peoples Congress Dr. Suleiman Shahoumi.According to an official announcement, the Cypriot MPs will be received by the Libyas Peoples Congress President General Secretary Mohamed Belgasem Al-Zwai. They will also hold separate meetings with the Secretaries of the Committees of Foreign, Legal and Human Rights Affairs Shahoumi and Aloheshi Al-Sadeq respectively. The Cypriot MPs are due to meet the Secretary of the General People`s Committee for Foreign Liaison and International Cooperation in charge of European Affairs Abdulati Alobeidi. During their four-day visit to Libya the Cypriot MPs will also meet the Secretary of the General Union of Chambers of Commerce and Industry Mukhtar Mohamed Al-Dairaj, as well as, the Coordinator of Shoabat Group of Foreign Work of the Communication Bureau of the Revolutionary Committees. Cyprus News Agency: News in English Directory - Previous Article - Next Article |