The Morphou Municipal Council strongly protests to the five permanent members of the UN Security Council against the ongoing flagrant violation of human rights following the occupation of Morphou by the Turkish troops in 1974.

In a resolution it adopted unanimously on the occasion of the somber anniversary when the Turkish troops seized control of Morphou during the second invasion that took place on the 16th August 1974, the Council of Morphou denounces the ongoing occupation and protests strongly to the five permanent members of the Security Council.

The resolution, that was sent on Thursday to the embassies of the UNSC`s permanent member states in Nicosia, says that the Morphou Municipal Council strongly protests to the five permanent members of the Security Council “against the ongoing flagrant violation of our human rights, being deprived of our fundamental freedoms, the ongoing occupation, to which we urge to demand immediate end, Turkey’s non-compliance with the United Nations’ resolutions on the Cyprus issue”.

“We express our determination and our commitment to find a fair and viable settlement of the Cyprus issue based on the principles of the United Nations and the values of the European Union, resulting to the reunification of Cyprus and its people,” the resolution notes.

It adds that “we demand as equal members of the above stated organizations, the same principles, values and standards to apply in our case too as they apply in the case of all the other member states, namely: the abolition of the guarantor powers and any other country’s unilateral right to intervene, the withdrawal of all foreign troops and the departure of settlers, the return of all deportees to their hometowns in peace and security, ensuring the protection of the three fundamental freedoms: freedom of movement, freedom of establishment and freedom to enjoy our property, and as inhabitants of Morphou we demand return of the town and the surrounding area of Morphou under Greek Cypriot administration”.

Further to the above, the Morphou Municipal Council says that they request the governments of the Security Council’s member states to put pressure on Turkey in order to restart the talks and conclude a mutually acceptable settlement of the Cyprus issue.

The Turkish army invaded Cyprus on July 20, 1974, and launched the second phase of the invasion on August 14 of the same year, occupying the best part of Mesaoria, Famagusta, Karpasia and Morphou.

All in all, almost 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus came under Turkish military occupation. Nearly one third of the population, some 200,000 Greek Cypriots, were forcibly uprooted from their homes and properties, thousands were killed during the hostilities, over 1,000 persons were listed as missing while thousands of Greek Cypriots and Maronites remained enclaved.

Numerous UN resolutions have demanded respect to the independence, unity and territorial integrity of Cyprus, the return of the displaced to their homes, and the withdrawal of foreign troops from the island, but all resolutions have been ignored by Turkey.

The latest effort to reach a Cyprus settlement was concluded in summer last year in the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana without a result.  Cyprus President Nicos Anastasiades expressed to the UN Secretary General`s envoy Jane Holl Lute, during a visit she paid recently to Cyprus, his readiness to re-engage into dialogue for a Cyprus settlement. Lute is also holding meetings in Athens, Ankara, London and Brussels on whether conditions have matured for the resumption of the Cyprus talks. She is expected to submit a report to the UNSG on her contacts with the interested parties.

Cyprus is a full EU member state since May 2004. The Turkish occupied part of Cyprus is also considered EU territory, where the acquis communautaire is suspended until the solution of the Cyprus problem.