Speaker. October 1 was the 20th anniversary of the independence of the Republic of Cyprus. It is of grave concern to all of us who hold freedom and selfdetermination as the highest value. that on the occasion of their anniversary of independence. the people of Cyprus live in a country of which 40 percent is under Turkish military occupation and 200.000 of their fellow citizens. onethird of the total population. are refugees in their own land. Our country has maintained close and friendly relations with the democratic countries of the eastern Mediterranean. Cyprus. Greece. and Turkey. It is vital. therefore. that we remain concerned with the plight of the Cypriot people to insure that Cyprus can once again enjoy the benefits of the independence they established 20 years ago. For this to be accomplished. the withdrawal of the Turkish occupation forces and the return of all the refugees to their ancestral homes must be accomplished. It is encouraging that recently the United Nationssponsored intercommunal talks on Cyprus have resumed. It is most important that we support the United Nations in this regard and show our strong interest in reaching a fair resolution to this crisis.
Keywords matched
refugees