Cyprus on Sunday paid tribute to all those who lost their lives during the July 20, 1974 Turkish invasion of the island.
Memorial services were held in all districts, in the presence of the House Speaker and Ministers who laid wreaths on behalf of the President Nicos Anastasiades.
The official memorial will be held on Tuesday, the day of the invasion, in Nicosia, in the presence of the President and other officials.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and still occupies 37% of the island’s territory.
Numerous UN backed talks to reunite the island have failed to yield results. A 5+1 Informal Meeting that took place in Geneva, on April 27-29, failed to find enough common ground to allow for the resumption of formal negotiations in relation to the settlement of the Cyprus problem.
UN Secretary – General, Antonio Guterres, has said that he will convene in the near future another meeting of the 5+1, the five plus the United Nations, again with the objective to move in the direction of reaching common ground to allow for formal negotiations to start.
