It is a great pleasure for me, and I consider it an honour to be invited, to attend today the Annual General Assembly of the Union of Displaced Communities of Famagusta and to address you, at an important moment for me, with the assumption of my duties at the Ministry of Interior.
My presence is an indication of the appreciation of both the Government and myself personally for the multi-dimensional work you are doing. A work that is undoubtedly very important and difficult, with the primary concern of keeping unquenched the memory, the conscience, the perspective and the hope for a return to our beloved villages of Famagusta, illegally detained by Turkey as a consequence of the brutal invasion of 1974.
Furthermore, your most important action is acknowledged in terms of enlightening and informing about our national issue, preserving the memory of our occupied land and continuing the struggle for the reunification of our homeland.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It has been 48 years since the barbaric Turkish invasion, and we are still experiencing the tragic consequences of the occupation. For almost five decades, the principles of international law have been flagrantly violated in Cyprus. In our Turkish-occupied lands, colonisation, the illegal exploitation of our properties and the insulting desecration of our religious and cultural heritage continue. The refugees of Famagusta, like all other refugees of our long-suffering island, live with the unquenchable desire to return to their land, to the places where they were born and raised.
The Cyprus problem has always been and remains a problem of invasion and occupation. The stagnation observed and the lack of political will on the part of Turkey to reach a solution make it even more imperative that there be no moment of complacency on our part.
The primary objective and top priority of the new government is the resumption of meaningful negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem, freeing our country from occupation troops, foreign guarantees and invasive rights, and restoring the unity of our homeland.
The primary objective and top priority of the new government is the resumption of meaningful negotiations aimed at resolving the Cyprus problem, freeing our country from occupation troops, foreign guarantees and invasive rights, and restoring the unity of our homeland.
The resolution of the Cyprus problem has been placed as a major issue on the President's agenda, with the effort at the moment being focused on developing a European initiative, always within the framework of the United Nations and on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation.
Dear all,
The refugee world has borne the greatest pain and has shouldered a huge burden of the consequences of the black page of the Turkish invasion. And it is for this reason that our goal as a Government, until the resolution of the Cyprus problem, is to be able to support our refugees, their human rights and their dignity in the best possible way, as far as we are allowed to do so on the basis of the State's budgetary possibilities.
In this context, we have made it a priority to resolve the long-standing problem of the unsuitability of refugee settlements in an effort to ensure both safe and dignified accommodation. At the same time, we are moving forward by placing high on our list the review of the criteria of housing plans for displaced persons, as well as rent subsidies, with the aim of implementing revised ones within 2023, while we are also proceeding with the modernization of the management and disposal of Turkish Cypriot properties, in order to address the needs of our refugees with meritocracy, transparency and equality.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before I conclude, I would like to mention that I welcome the decisions taken by the Ministry of Interior, prior to my assumption of office, for the Associations of the Occupied Communities of Famagusta, Kyrenia and Nicosia regarding the institutionalization of the granting of an annual grant of €25.000 for each Association separately, in addition to the annual grant to each of our 137 Communities to cover their operating costs.
From 1 January 2023, following a recommendation of the Ministry of Interior, also approved by the Council of Ministers, a pension allowance equal to 50% of the pension allowance received by the Commonwealths of the free areas is granted to the former Commonwealths of the occupied Communities.
From 1 January 2023, following a recommendation of the Ministry of Interior, also approved by the Council of Ministers, a pension allowance equal to 50% of the pension allowance received by the Commonwealths of the free areas is granted to the former Commonwealths of the occupied Communities. A commendable arrangement for the benefit of community leaders over 60 years of age who are not in office and who have served at least 30 months in the office of community leader.
Further to the above, the State covered the total cost of the construction of the present building of the Union of Displaced Communities of Famagusta, so that the Community Councils of the 60 occupied communities of Famagusta can carry out their duties in an organised manner and achieve their objectives.
In order to enable the Community Councils of the 60 occupied communities of Famagusta to carry out their duties in an organised manner and achieve their objectives.
I assure you that, recognizing the role and importance that you have to perform as Associations of Occupied Communities, both in serving the refugee population and in promoting our national problem, we will continue to respond positively to your requests, within the budgetary possibilities, for the sponsorship of events, gatherings, and other activities aimed at strengthening relations between residents.
Dear all,
In closing, allow me to convey my warmest congratulations to the President, the members of the Union of Displaced Communities of Famagusta and to all those who contributed to this excellent organization of the General Assembly, which is in essence an event of remembrance and honour.
With the wish that this General Assembly of the Union of Displaced Communities of Famagusta is the last one in the refugee era, I would like to thank you once again, on behalf of the Government, for continuing tirelessly to keep the desire to return to the ancestral lands unquenched. I am absolutely certain that, with the vigour and zeal that you possess, you will tirelessly continue your efforts to maintain unbreakable ties with the land of your birth, sustaining the militant action that successfully unites our refugee world.
I wish you every success in the work of your Assembly.
(EFYs/MB)
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Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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