Fotiou: Consultations with the UN on non-self-restraint of trapped people who will come to vote

"We ask that no problems be created by the return of our captives to the occupied territories, with the restrictions that the occupation regime has for the pandemic"

Screenshot 2021 05 25 115743 Parliamentary Elections 2021, Caged

The Office of the Presidency Commissioner for Humanitarian Affairs is in consultations with the United Nations in order not to impose a ten-day self-restraint on the detainees, who will go to the free areas from their occupied villages to vote in the May 30 parliamentary elections, KYPE said. Commissioner Fotis Fotiou.

"We have addressed the United Nations at the highest level and we have consultations with the Special Representative of the UN Secretary General in Cyprus, Elizabeth Spehar. "We ask that no problems be created by the return of our captives to the occupied territories, with the restrictions that the occupation regime has for the pandemic", said Mr. Fotiou.

We, he added, have completed the vaccination program for all those trapped and resettled for 18 years and over and this is an additional serious reason that the occupation regime should not create problems with the excuse of the pandemic.

He noted that "we do not yet have a specific response from the occupation regime through the United Nations. We ask for this assurance that no problems will be created ".

As Mr. Fotiou explained, during the transition of the caged to the free areas, no issue is raised. Problem arises on their return under the restrictive measures of the occupation regime provided self-restraint in their home for ten days and a PCR test.

"We have told the United Nations that we have vaccinated all our captives. No problems should be created by the occupation regime. Here we are talking about a process that is always done in a disciplined way. "All those trapped have been vaccinated and any excuse to create problems for epidemiological reasons is ridiculous."

According to the Commissioner of Fire, there are a total of 243 trapped voters, 193 Greek Cypriots and 50 Maronites.

The Greek Cypriots are distributed as follows: 154 in Rizokarpaso, 37 in Agia Triada and 2 in Agios Andronikos. As for the Maronites, 46 are in Kormakitis and 4 in Karpasia.

"For those trapped, we have already agreed with the Election Commissioner to designate two Centers, where they will vote. "One for Karpasia is at the Primary School of Acheritos in Center C and for the Maronites at the Lyceum of Kykkos in Nicosia in Centers A and R", he pointed out.

Commissioner Fotiou said that arrangements with buses have been made for the transport of the trapped people to and from the occupied areas.

"We are ready as a Service in cooperation with the Election Commissioner, as well as in every electoral contest that we can coordinate, to facilitate all this people to come and go back to their homes," he added.

He also said that there are a number of trapped people living in the free areas who due to the situation with the pandemic could not go back, that arrangements were made for them to vote.