The goal of the Municipality of Famagusta is the immediate and effective action against the Turkish challenges, said the Mayor of the occupied city, Simos Ioannou, who stressed that the Municipality will act at every level to prevent new accomplishments.
Speaking on Saturday night, at the anti-occupation event of the Municipality of Famagusta, which took place at the Cultural Center of the Municipality, in Deryneia, Mr. Ioannou noted that the Municipality will do its best to prevent the new crime. "We have already started a comprehensive mobilization inside and outside Cyprus and we will address each decision center in order to catch up with the new accomplishments," he said.
First and foremost, he said, “we have started contacts at the political level, which are necessary. We have already held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, where, among other things, we submitted a proposal for the establishment of a group that, in cooperation with the EVEA, will register the properties of the Famagusta people. "Scheduled meetings with the President of the Republic, with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar and foreign Ambassadors are also imminent", he noted.
I want to repeat, he added, “our proposal and appeal to the President of the Republic to convene a special session of the National Council with the exclusive theme of Famagusta, everything that is happening in relation to our city and what actions we must take collectively and in coordination. At the same time, we expect that the President of the Republic will raise in his speech from the podium of the forthcoming UN General Assembly the issue of Turkish methods for Famagusta, as a matter of blatant contempt for the resolutions of the Organization ", he pointed out.
Mr. Ioannou also said that in the near future they will raise the issue of the city at international and European level to claim practical support for the implementation of the resolutions.
"To support this whole campaign, a support group is being set up during this period for the action and initiatives of the Municipality and the Mayor, consisting of distinguished Famagusta lawyers and diplomats," he said.
He further noted that the priority of the Municipality is the revitalization of ties and the action of the people of Famagusta. The flame of struggle and hope, the Mayor noted, "must be passed on to the next generations of Famagusta people, because whatever the developments, struggle and vision will be required".
Particularly important, he pointed out, “is the fact that the Municipality is trying to reactivate the Coordinating Committee of its Associations and Organizations, is creating a Culture Group where we will invite Varosians of Letters and Arts, so that our Municipality can upgrade its presence and action in the field of Culture, while the goal is to upgrade the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Famagusta, so that it can become a center of bi-communal contacts and initiatives ".
Moreover, Mr. Ioannou described as positive, hopeful and moving the fact that many Turkish Cypriots, for years, are active and unite with the Famagusta, in the effort to implement the UN resolutions on Famagusta.
"Even Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci is officially different from these actions, saying that for Famagusta the relevant Security Council resolutions and international law must be respected," he noted.
It is equally hopeful that the provocations of Mr. Tsavousoglou during his illegal presence on our island were condemned by a portion of the Turkish Cypriots, whom of course the Turkish Minister calls "traitors". "We reply that the Turkish Cypriots who are resisting the assimilation of their community by Turkey, who are fighting for a solution and the reunification of our island, are not only not traitors, but are real Cypriot patriots," he said.
The speech of the Mayor of Famagusta as it is:
"This year 's meeting of Famagusta takes place in the most critical moments for our match. Critical for the Cyprus Problem. Critical for the case of the return of Famagusta. Critical for Cyprus and our people.
New methods of Turkey are added to the 45 years of occupation and division, with all that they mean for the accomplishments on the ground but also on the consciences. Now, the prolonged and dangerous negotiation gap in the Cyprus issue from Krans Montana and onwards is combined with new Turkish challenges both in the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus and in relation to our city, facts that prove the increasingly tight embrace of the Turkish Cypriots. , which tries in every way to assimilate them. The actions of Ozersay and Tatar, which are launching the settlement of the enclosed city, are a brutal challenge for all the people of Famagusta, for all the refugees, for all the Cypriots. They are a gross violation of the UN Resolutions. The presence of the Turkish Foreign Minister and other officials of the government and the occupying Turkish army in the enclosed area of our city, prove the subordination of the pseudo-government of the occupiers to Turkey but also the perception and in some cases the identification of Ozersay - Tatars Turkish targets. These actions will mean a new crime against our city that has been held hostage for decades in the hands of the occupying army.
From this step I want to clarify one thing clearly. That the people of Famagusta are not going to sit idly by, nor will we beg for a posteriori condemnation of the new accomplishments that Turkey is launching. Our goal is to act at every level to prevent accomplishments. As the Municipality of Famagusta we will do everything in our power to prevent the new crime. We have already started a comprehensive mobilization inside and outside Cyprus and we will address each decision center in order to catch up with the new accomplishments. In this effort, we call on all the people of Famagusta (citizens, organized groups, political forces, sports and other unions) to act as a fist, as a human being. With unity and determination!
I will repeat from this step our appeal and demand from the occupying power and the pseudo-government. Respect the UN Security Council resolutions! Choose the path of peace and international law. Return the city to its rightful owners! To her children and grandchildren. To those who built it, who lived it, who walked it step by step. To those who left inside their soul, their hearts, their childhood, their youth. To those who for 45 years hold the keys to their house in Varosi as a precious amulet. Not as a souvenir, but to open the door when they return. To those who died in exile, with the bitterness of uprooting. To those who grew old with hope, always having the photo from Varosi on the wall of the house in the refugee settlement. To those who cry every time they find themselves on the barbed wire on the beach of Glossa. To those who are shocked every time they hear the "soil I walked, land I long for", who cry in the car every time they pass outside their abandoned houses and orchards. Famagusta belongs to them! In Famagusta and Famagusta.
Friends,
We underline and welcome the fact that, at the same time that these are being used for Famagusta, the actions of Turkey do not find a large portion of the Turkish Cypriots in agreement. It is positive, hopeful and moving that many Turkish Cypriots, for years, are active and join us in the effort to implement the UN Resolutions on Famagusta, for the revitalization of our city. Even the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci is officially differentiated from these actions, saying that for Famagusta the relevant resolutions of the Security Council and International Law must be respected. It is equally hopeful that the provocations of Mr. Tsavousoglou during his illegal presence on our island were condemned by a portion of the Turkish Cypriots, whom of course the Turkish Minister calls "traitors". We answer that the Turkish Cypriots who resist the assimilation of their community by Turkey, who fight for the solution and reunification of our island, are not only not traitors, but are real Cypriot patriots. It is a hope and an example for all Cypriots. It is with these Turkish Cypriots that we will continue to work and fight. Even more decisive. Even more intensively. And for the solution of principles in the Cyprus problem but also for the return of Famagusta.
The path of implementation of the UN Resolutions on Famagusta, specifically of 550 and 789, is not something that concerns or benefits only the people of Famagusta. It concerns the whole effort to resolve the Cyprus problem since they are resolutions whose provisions lead to the solution.
The return and opening of Famagusta is beneficial for all of Cyprus and all Cypriots. For Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. For refugees and non-refugees. The return of the enclosed city to its rightful owners, the opening of the port of the city, the reconstruction of the city will become great historical landmarks and sections, in the modern course of our island. They will be a first big bet for the cooperation and coexistence of the two communities. The forces that will unite Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots in this titanic project, will not be simply added, but will be multiplied, multiplying the benefits, the prospects, the opportunities for real development in our country. Solid and real growth. Development for our place and its people.
Above all, however, Famagusta will emerge here and internationally as a living example that reunification is possible and necessary. As a living and daily proof that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can live, but also grow, together.
A possible opening and return of the enclosed area of Famagusta and its surrender to the UN control, not only will not mean "sandblasting" of the Cyprus problem, but instead will be a bridge for a comprehensive solution, for the liberation and reunification of the whole of Cyprus. The Cyprus issue must not be Famagusta under any circumstances. On the contrary, the return of Famagusta should work as an aid to the overall solution of the problem.
We know, of course, dear friends, that an effort is currently being made to resume substantive negotiations for a comprehensive solution to the Cyprus Problem. It is with anxiety and concern that we are watching the involvement that is observed in the attempt to agree on the terms of reference between the two leaders in order to proceed to the resumption of substantive negotiations.
Some of those who do not accept the federation solution, the convergences achieved so far or the Guterres Framework, may be unacknowledged to be relieved of this entanglement and stagnation, thinking that this way painful concessions are avoided. But the history of the Cyprus problem says the opposite. The farther we go from the perspective of the talks, from the agreed framework, from the solution itself, then we get so close, not to something better, not to the one-state solution that some might dream of, not to the goals and aspirations of the pre-60 ′ era that some others may be dreaming of, but unfortunately we are approaching the manipulation that is the final division and a new cycle of instability and tension both in Cyprus and in our wider region.
45 years later, no one can fail to realize that if an honest compromise is not made with our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, then we will be left with an dishonest compromise with the occupation and the division. I want to be clear and unequivocal and I believe that I express everyone who is here. The solution of two states and a confederation is not and will never be accepted. We neither accept it, nor discuss it, nor think about it. Never and under any circumstances. Never and for any consideration. The only solution is freedom and reunification! The only solution and only choice is for all Cypriots to live as one people, in one homeland, our Cyprus.
Mister President,
Dear fellow citizens,
The respective Presidents of the Republic, very naturally ask and expect our support, as the Municipality of Famagusta and as Famagusta. Of course in my perception, support is given as a unit of goals and action based on policies, positions and principles. And it is known that the people of Famagusta, for the most part, have supported and continue to support every effort for a solution of principles in the Cyprus issue, on the agreed basis and in the agreed framework. Accordingly, it must also be clear that the people of Famagusta will neither be silent nor applaud policies that, tacitly or not, are moving in another direction. That is why I believe that I express the vast majority of our fellow citizens, expressing our support for the solution of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality as described in the UN resolutions. Our support in the effort to conclude terms of reference based on the 2014 Joint Declaration, the agreed convergences and the Guterres Framework. Our support for the goal of resuming substantive talks from where they left off in Crans Montana. That is what the two leaders need to focus on. And this is the way to either lead to a solution of principles in the Cyprus issue, if Turkey consents. Either if he does not consent, then she will have the responsibility for the non-solution and to stop the acquittal that has been taking place for the last two years, even in the Reports of the UN Secretary General himself, which accelerates negative developments.
Dear fellow citizens,
Friends and friends,
As the Municipality of Famagusta we have our share of responsibility, the one that belongs to us in this whole effort. As I had declared from the first day of my election to the City Hall, unity and collectivity are my first priority. With these very principles, we are implementing in practice what we have promised with specific decisions that we took from the first session of the Municipal Council after the elections. I feel the need to refer to them because I consider it my duty as Mayor to be accountable to our citizens for our actions and decisions.
First and foremost, we have started contacts at the political level, which are necessary to see where we are and how we are moving forward. We have already held a meeting with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, where, among other things, we submitted a proposal for the establishment of a group that, in cooperation with the EVEA, will register the properties of the Famagusta people. Scheduled meetings with the President of the Republic (the day after Monday), with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus Elizabeth Spehar and foreign Ambassadors are also imminent. I would like to reiterate today from this step our proposal and appeal to the President of the Republic to convene a special session of the National Council with the exclusive theme of Famagusta, everything that is happening in relation to our city and what actions we must collectively and coordinated. . At the same time, we expect that the President of the Republic will raise in his speech from the podium of the forthcoming UN General Assembly the issue of Turkish methods for Famagusta, as a matter of blatant contempt for the Resolutions of the Organization.
Secondly. As we have already announced, we will act decisively as a Municipality in the coming period at international and European level to highlight the issue of our city and to claim practical support for the implementation of the Resolutions. We have already arranged a visit of a delegation of the Municipality in Brussels in the second ten days of next October for contacts with European officials and European political groups while we are preparing other actions abroad which will be announced at a later stage. To support this whole campaign, a Support Group for the action and initiatives of the Municipality and the Mayor, consisting of distinguished Famagusta lawyers and diplomats, is currently being set up.
Third. We give weight and priority to the revitalization of ties and the action of the people of Famagusta. The flame of struggle and hope must be passed on to the next generations of Famagusta people, because whatever the developments, struggle and vision will be required. The memory, conscience and identity of Varosiotis must remain alive, strengthen and shine again. So we implement this with specific initiatives, which we call on all of you, each individual citizen, each organized group of the city, to embrace and support them. We are proceeding with the reactivation of the Coordinating Committee of Associations and Organizations of Famagusta, which has already met the previous days, in order to join forces in the fight to prevent the settlement of Famagusta. In order to revive the case of Famagusta, the memory and conscience of Famagusta. Especially in the field of Culture, we are proceeding with the creation of a Culture Group where we will invite Varosians of Letters and Arts so that our Municipality can upgrade its presence and action in the field of Culture. At the same time, the goal is to upgrade the Cultural Center of the Municipality of Famagusta that hosts us tonight, which now, especially after the opening of the Deryneia roadblock, can become a center of bi-communal contacts and initiatives.
Selected guests,
Dear fellow citizens,
Friends and friends,
Exactly one year ago, in this position in front of you, stood the late mayor Alexis Galanos, whom we unexpectedly lost last July. Alexis Galanos used to say last year “we left our beloved Famagusta, with the certainty that the return would be a matter of only a few days. Days became months, months years, years decades. We were denied. And we were disappointed. But the stubbornness to continue the fight prevails ".
With this stubbornness we will continue the fight. With this stubbornness that is greater than bitterness, denial and frustration. With this determination that is stronger than the provocation of the occupation and the sirens for the sale of our property. With this faith, which must become strong and great again to embrace and be embraced by all the people of Famagusta. With his eyes fixed on Famagusta. With hope in the heart. By returning and reuniting in our consciousness.
Because we do not want to live and die with the memory of Famagusta. We want to live and die IN Famagusta. In the city that gave birth to us. This is our destination, on the road for which all of us Famagusta unite. Both those who left and those who come. All the Famagusta people who are here tonight and all who are scattered in all corners of Cyprus. All those who declare and insist that we will return faithful to the spring of Famagusta; faithful to the spring of our Cyprus.
My dear fellow citizens,
Good strength and good return. "