The World Conference of Diaspora Cypriots opened in Nicosia on Tuesday evening with a focus on strengthening ties between overseas Cypriots and their homeland. Speakers also reaffirmed their commitment to efforts aimed at ending the Turkish occupation and reunifying Cyprus.
Maintaining ties with younger generations
In her welcoming address, Ministry of Foreign Affairs Director and Ambassador Theodora Konstantinidou said Cyprus honours the contribution of previous generations while continuing to invest in the future of its diaspora.
“The future is all of you, the young people who keep alive, despite the challenges you face, the umbilical cord with the land of your grandfathers and fathers,” she said.
Konstantinidou said the Ministry of Foreign Affairs would continue supporting overseas Cypriots as a custodian of memory, a multiplier of their long-standing contribution and a pillar for the younger diaspora.
The ministry’s objective, she added, is to safeguard the diaspora and further strengthen cooperation with Cypriot communities abroad.
POMAK backs efforts to resume talks
President of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, POMAK, Christos Karaolis said preserving Cypriot identity becomes increasingly difficult with the passage of time.
However, he described the strength and development of POMAK as evidence of the organisation’s success.
Karaolis said POMAK fully supports President Nikos Christodoulides’ efforts to resume negotiations on the Cyprus problem.
“We will continue to stand united in promoting the rights of the diaspora internationally,” he said, describing POMAK’s history as one of “responsibility and love for our Cyprus”.
Calls for unity and continued mobilisation
Vice-President of the International Coordinating Committee, Justice for Cyprus, PSEKA, Savvas Tsivikos said the organisation had congratulated the government for making Cyprus “part of the solution and not part of the problem”.
He said Cyprus now plays a central role in international developments and added that Cypriots in the United States work daily to promote the country’s interests.
“We are fighting for liberation and a solution that is sustainable, durable, without anachronistic guarantees and big brothers,” Tsivikos said.
He called for unity and collective action, arguing that Cyprus should be prepared to demand more in the pursuit of a settlement.
“We must all fight together to achieve the minimum we can achieve. We must finally dare to ask for more,” he said.
NEPOMAK focuses on preserving identity
Outgoing President of the Youth of the World Federation of Overseas Cypriots, NEPOMAK, Christos Touton said the organisation would continue working towards “a free and united Cyprus”.
He also expressed hope that the visit of the United Nations Secretary-General would contribute towards that objective.
Touton said one of NEPOMAK’s main challenges is helping young overseas Cypriots preserve their identity as they become increasingly integrated into the countries where they live.
Maintaining contact with their roots is therefore becoming increasingly important, he said, adding that Cypriot identity must be protected and passed on to future generations.
Greece reaffirms support for Cyprus
Representing the Greek Government, Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs responsible for the Greek Diaspora Ioannis-Michael Loverdos said Cyprus “is not and will never be alone”.
He referred to the Intergovernmental Summit between Greece and Cyprus, which will be hosted in Cyprus this year, describing it as a structured framework that has produced tangible progress over the past three years.
The framework has further strengthened the ties between the two countries and demonstrated that Greece and Cyprus are actively maintaining their coordination at the highest possible level, he said.
Loverdos reaffirmed Greece’s commitment to ending the Turkish occupation and reaching a comprehensive, just, viable and functional settlement within the framework of the relevant United Nations resolutions.
He added that Cyprus and Greece would never accept the legitimisation of the faits accomplis resulting from the Turkish occupation.
Archbishop urges reassessment of strategy
Archbishop of Cyprus Georgios focused on the need to cultivate and preserve the identity of young Cypriots living abroad.
He also expressed the Church’s concern over the future of the Greek Cypriot community in Cyprus.
“We must thwart Turkish aspirations,” he said, arguing that the pursuit of a tolerable settlement had led to a departure from the fundamental basis of the Cyprus problem.
The Archbishop said a reassessment of the strategy being followed was necessary and called on the United Nations Secretary-General to defend the principles of the organisation he represents.
He also urged participants to recognise what he described as the critical nature of the present circumstances.
Source: CNA
