US Congresswoman Nicole Malliotakis’ resolution “Condemning Turkey for its repeated aggression towards Cyprus” got bipartisan support in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
In her resolution, Malliotakis, who is the daughter of a Greek immigrant, condemns Turkey for its continued military presence on the divided island.
The resolution also calls on Ankara to withdraw its troops, reverse its unilateral actions in Varosha and stop interfering with Cyprus’ EEZ.
As a member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Malliotakis has been a relentless advocate for Cyprus` independence.
And she has called on the Biden Administration to make resolving this issue a top foreign policy priority.
The resolution notes that the Turkish government ordered its military to invade the Republic of Cyprus back in 1974.
Since then, Turkey, led by authoritarian President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has tolerated or abetted the desecration of more than 500 Orthodox Christian churches in Cyprus.
Moreover, it brought over 200,000 illegal settlers to the geographic area, and despite having agreed to do so, failed to support international efforts to find and identify the remains of persons, including four U.S. citizens who have been missing since 1974.
In October 2020, Turkish President Erdogan illegally reopened parts of the Varosha beachfront and the Turkish Cypriots, with President Erdogan`s support, announced the partial reopening of the town of Varosha on July 20, 2021.
Both of these actions are inconsistent with United Nations Security Council resolutions, the resolution also notes.
