The Cyprus Government is investing in UN Secretary-General’s visit to Cyprus, showcasing a constructive stance, Deputy Spokesperson Yiannis Antoniou said on Sunday, pointing out that the Greek Cypriot side is seeking, more than anyone else, a viable and just Cyprus solution.
Speaking during a event in Strovolos, Nicosia, organized by the Turkish-occupied community council of Assia, at a monument for the community’s fallen and missing persons, on the occasion of commemorations for the victims of the 1974 coup and Turkish invasion, Antoniou said that we stand ready and have a clear commitment to the goal of resuming substantive negotiations that will lead to a sustainable solution. But he noted that we are cautiously optimistic and remain realistic as we know that the road is long and difficult. ”However, the historical duty requires perseverance and commitment to the highest goal of liberation and reunification”, he went on to say.
Antoniou also reassured that the President of the Republic and its government are collectively doing everything humanly possible to bring justice to the people who sacrificed themselves and fought for our freedom.
Addressing the people of Assia, he said that the community paid the heaviest price of the Turkish invasion. He said that when the Turkish army entered the village, the people were confronted with acts of violence, murder, abuse and abductions as a result of which eighty-eight people, who were originally from or lived in Assia, became missing.
He said that the remains of 69 people have been identified, with evidence testifying to their brutal murder, while the fate of 19 others is still unknown.
Antoniou spoke of the case of a group of 70 males from Assia and the surrounding villages, who were abducted from their houses and piled into buses and were later murdered, describing this incident as particularly shocking. He said that some remains were later found in wells, but their main remains had been moved from their original burial sites.
The Deputy Spokesperson went on to say that the President of the Republic raises this specific issue at every opportunity, in an effort to convince Turkey to cooperate and to provide access to the archives of the Turkish army, providing information.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results due to Turkish intransigence. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.
After informal meetings in 2025, followed by a hiatus of several months, deliberations are underway for a new meeting in broader format to be held, as the term of the UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres nears its end. María Angela Holguín, Guterres’ Personal Envoy on Cyprus, is tasked to engage with the parties. Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto acts as the European Commission’s Special Representative for Cyprus, succeeding EU special envoy Johannes Hahn.