The President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, addressed tonight, a televised message on the occasion of the Easter celebrations.
In his message, the President conveyed his warmest wishes to the people of Cyprus and expressed his heartfelt hope that the message of Resurrection will encompass our homeland as well.
He added, among other things, that ‟everything that is being recorded from the Russian invasion in Ukraine reopens our wounds and renders even more imperative the need for us, united, to continue the struggle for justice and peace to prevailˮ.
The President then said: ‟It is with feelings of sincere friendship that I address tonight our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.
My fellow Turkish Cypriot compatriots, this homeland is yours and ours. It is for this homeland that blood has been shed, it is for this country that we suffered, shed tears, sometimes together and other times separately. But the pain was always the same for everybody.
And it is this pain that determines how much human beings are alike and equal. How mutual respect for the rights of each other is the only foundation for coexistence, and for developing together creatively toward permanent prosperity and peace.
The destruction recorded by the war in Ukraine shows how fragile peace is when the interests of the powerful violate the principles of international law.
I believe the time has come for our love toward our common homeland to allow us to rectify the injustice that the division has imposed on us.
Both communities and all those involved in the Cyprus issue can only benefit if, by abandoning unattainable goals, we work together consciously and sincerely in order to build a state that will not be deficient in principles and values from the rest of the states of the European Union.
The basis of a solution has been agreed upon and recorded in tens of United Nations resolutions.
What is required is political will, a genuine political will, and a joint effort to establish a state that will respect the equality and human rights of every Cypriot European citizen, that will respond simultaneously to the concerns of both communities but will also safeguard its functionality and its total and absolute independenceˮ.
President Anastasiades added that ‟in 1974, the Republic of Cyprus faced its greatest blow with the invasion and occupation of one-third of its territory and its subsequent repercussions. In spite of this, the Republic of Cyprus not only has survived but was able to become a full member of the European Union and remain the only internationally recognized state in Cyprus.
At the same time, it has become a pillar of stability and peace by demonstrating the geostrategic role it can play in the regionˮ.
As a more recent example characteristic of the resilience of the people of Cyprus, the President referred to the economic crisis of 2013 that threatened the state with bankruptcy, pointing out that ‟Cyprus has managed not only to reverse the negative consequences but also to achieve the highest growth rates in the Eurozoneˮ.
In conclusion, the President noted that Cyprus has also managed to address the 2020 pandemic as a result of targeted measures by the government that set the country on a course for a decisive exit from this crisis.
(PIO)
