Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots from Famagusta sent a joint declaration today on the Cultural Heritage of the occupied city of Famagusta. The announcement expresses gratitude to all those who supported the effort to maintain and promote the Ravelino bastion in Famagusta.
The declaration is signed by the Initiative "Famagusta Our City" and the Turkish Cypriot Initiative "Mağusa İnisiyatifi".
In the declaration, the Turkish Cypriots and Greek Cypriots from Famagusta also express their protest against any attempt to prevent access to common cultural spaces, an effort that, as mentioned, preserves nationalist discrimination and the division of our country.
The proclamation as it stands:
On Tuesday, June 19, the ceremony of handing over to the public one of the most important monuments of Famagusta, the Bastion of Sagittarius, better known as Ravelino or the Gate of the Land, took place after maintenance and strengthening works.
On this occasion we would like to express our thanks to the people of Famagusta and to all the Cypriots who honored us with their presence, but especially to the ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions, to Mrs. Elizabeth Spehar, Head of UNFICYP in Cyprus, to the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage and the representatives of the United Nations Development Program (UNDP) and of course in the European Union. During the event we enjoyed our common cultural heritage without discrimination on the grounds of religion, language or ethnicity.
The city of Famagusta is the mirror of a cultural mosaic of the whole island. We are children of people who come from this city, whether they were passers-by, or settled and soaked the place with their culture.
We are the heirs of what our ancestors left us. For years blinded by nationalism we tried to destroy our cultural heritage, but also ourselves. This destructive rage did not distinguish whether one was a Turk, a Greek or a Muslim or a Christian.
Now that we are past the years of interdependence, we have begun to understand, work together and learn to share our common cultural heritage. We began to take in our hands the past and its values, we trusted each other, and this effort succeeded.
We have been supported by people who work without limits, such as the Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, the UNDP and the European Union. They have supported us without limits based on our common heritage. Through them we learned to love and protect our place without dividing it, without separating it on the basis of religion or nation.
The common cultural heritage of this island is the common past of thousands of years. We believe that by preserving and protecting our cultural heritage we contribute to reunification and reconciliation, elements that will bring peace to our island.
At this critical moment, we are witnessing an effort by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Cyprus to freeze efforts to preserve and preserve this common cultural heritage, as well as the dialogue between the communities for the collective memory of the place.
We protest against any attempt to prevent access to our common cultural spaces, an effort that perpetuates nationalist discrimination and the division of our country.
Famagusta.News