Famagusta is the ‘key and the heart’ to the salvation of our country, the Mayor of the Turkish-occupied city, Simos Ioannou, said on Saturday evening, during his speech at an event commemorating the city’s fall to the Turkish army in August 1974.
Ioannou pointed out that ‘the reality of occupation gives rise to undesirable needs and dangerous habits. Need is presented as a virtue and ulterior motives as realism.’
‘However, even this tacit acceptance of the faits accomplis of the 1974 crime is in reality wishful thinking. Because the destruction is ongoing,’ the Mayor of Famagusta noted.
‘The changes brought about by settlement and development in this 83% of our city continue unabated. For years, our properties in the northern districts of the city have been altered through huge investments,’ said Simos Ioannou, noting that ‘new illegal developments are occurring further and further south.’
At the same time, he said that ‘the hope for Famagusta and its return is a promise for our entire occupied Cyprus. The implementation of resolutions 550 and 789 for the return of the besieged Famagusta to its legal residents under the auspices of the UN must be a demand of all of us’, he pointed out.
As a Municipality, he continued, ‘we have repeatedly denounced the new Turkish violations, and we have emphasised repeatedly that Turkey’s goal is to overturn all hope. Because as long as the possibility of returning to our city remains possible, the Turkish pursuits of perpetuating the division cannot be achieved’, said Simos Ioannou.
‘As the Municipality of Famagusta, we clearly and unequivocally declare that our vision for the city is feasible and legitimate only if it includes all Famagusta residents, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots,’ he said, adding that ‘as the Municipality of Famagusta, we support the Turkish Cypriots who share with us both the possibilities of return, freedom and peace as well as the dangers posed by the perpetuation of the occupation and open conflict.’
‘The visit of the UN Secretary-General to Cyprus this week watered the tree of hope that the 9 years of water shortage from Crans Montana left to wither’, said the Mayor of Famagusta. ‘But hope is a persistent mistress, and we will renew our appointment with it’, he said.
‘Whether we will succeed, with sincerity and unwavering insistence on the convergences and the achievements of the talks, with insistence on the agreed basis of a Bizonal Bicommunal Federation solution, to force Turkey to travel the last mile with us for the solution from the point where it was left in Crans Montana, it is the difficult task of the political leadership of this place. But we also have our role to play’, he underlined.
‘We declare ourselves ready for the long, difficult but beautiful journey of return, for the prospect of a better future for our children’, said Ioannou. ‘Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can only count on the future when it is ensured that we will live it together, away from foreign armies, occupation and colonisation’, he added.
‘Even though we were deprived of the future that was before us, we owe our children a future of peace, freedom and rebirth in Famagusta and in all of Cyprus’, he said.
‘We are here 52 years older but sharing half a century of conviction that Famagusta is the ‘key and the heart’ to the salvation of our country. Not a slogan, not an old memory, not a hashtag on screens. Famagusta is our history and our history continues,’ he concluded.
Famagusta Municipal Council issues resolution
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Famagusta residents marched to the Deryneia checkpoint, where they delivered a resolution of the Famagusta Municipal Council to an UNFICYP delegation.
The resolution reaffirmed the ‘unwavering commitment’ of the Famagusta Municipal Council to a solution of a Bizonal Bicommunal Federation with political equality, as defined in the relevant UN resolutions and high-level agreements.
At the same time, the resolution called on Turkey to end its illegal actions in Famagusta, to respect International Law and United Nations resolutions and to contribute to finding a comprehensive solution. At the same time, it demanded the return of the enclosed area of Famagusta to its legitimate residents under the administration of the United Nations.
It also called on the Cypriot people and the political leadership to join forces for the return of Famagusta, peace, reunification and prosperity of the country. It further appealed to the United Nations, the European Union and the governments of the five permanent members of the Security Council to intensify their efforts to ensure that Turkey abandons its provocative actions and returns to the negotiating table.
The resolution noted that the election of the Turkish Cypriot leader, Tufan Erhrman, in October 2025, ‘has raised expectations for the resumption of a substantive dialogue on the Cyprus problem’. It also expressed satisfaction with the work of the Special Envoy of the Secretary-General and the ongoing consultations aimed at resuming the talks.
Finally, it welcomed the initiatives of the United Nations Secretary-General, Antonio Guterres, which “constitute a significant effort to create conditions for the resumption of substantive negotiations on the Cyprus problem.”