In July 1974, Turkey invaded the Republic of Cyprus, in violation of the UN Charter and the fundamental principles of international law. The tragic consequences of the military invasion and subsequent occupation of nearly 40% of the sovereign territory of the Republic are still felt today by the people of this EU member- state:
More than 1,200 persons are still missing
Hundreds of churches have been destroyed
To this date, Cyprus remains forcibly divided. Through its military occupation, Turkey has implemented a geographic separation of the population along ethnic lines, by forcing the Greek Cypriots out of their homes in the occupied areas and moving the Turkish Cypriots into the occupied areas.
The UN General Assembly and Security Council, as well as other international organizations, have adopted a series of resolutions condemning Turkey’s actions against Cyprus. These resolutions demand the return of the displaced people to their homes in safety and the ascertainment of the fate of all missing persons. In addition, they call for respect for the human rights of all Cypriots and for the independence, sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus.
Efforts to Re-Unify the island are currently under way, under the auspices of the United Nations. The leaders of the two communities agreed on a Joint Declaration on the re-launching of the negotiations. The resolution expresses to reach a solution based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation with political equality. The united Cyprus, as a member of the UN and the EU shall have a single legal international personality, a single sovereignty and a single Cyprus citizenship.
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To commemorate the fallen and missing during the 1974 Turkish Invasion, The Pancyprian Association of Texas will be having a memorial at the following Greek Orthodox Churches in the Houston area:
On Sunday, the 20th of July 2014,
@
Annunciation Greek Orthodox Cathedral
3511 Yoakum Blvd, Houston, TX 77006
Divine Liturgy starts at 9:30 AM
St. Basil the Great Greek Orthodox Church
1100 Eldridge Pkwy, Houston, TX 77077
Divine Liturgy starts at 10:00 AM
Saint John the Theologian Greek Orthodox Church
202 N. Walnut Street, Webster, TX 77598
Orthros starts at 9am with Divine Liturgy following.
Following the memorial (round noon time) a reception and the film: "Cyprus Still Divided" will be shown at the Annunciation and St. Basil Greek Orthodox Churches.
The film is a pretty good documentary on the Cyprus issue and the role the USA – and particularly the odious Henry Kissinger – played in partitioning the island. The film was made by the American Hellenic Institute with the intention of educating a US audience and, as such, has been shown on NPR stations and at various ‘Town Hall screenings’. There’s good archive footage, mostly taken from Michalis Cacoyiannis’ film Attila 1974: The Rape of Cyprus, plus more recent interviews with Paul Sarbanes, John Brademas, Nicholas Burns, Christopher Hitchens, Titina Loizidou and others.
According to the AHI website:
It reveals the web of domestic politics of Henry Kissinger, and his refusal to apply the rule of law to Turkey's invasion and occupation of 37% of Cyprus and the refusal of the Executive Branch since the to apply the rule of law to Turkey's invasion and occupation of Cyprus. For example the documentary presents a recently classified August 13, 1974 White House Memorandum of Conversation and clearly indicts Kissinger who said: "There is no American reason why the Turks should not have one third of Cyprus."
All HCC members are invited to watch the film.
Feel free to invite any of your friends to learn about what really happened.
This is a a highly educational free event sponsored by Pancypriansof Texas, the Concul of Cyprus @ Houston, and the Hellenic Cultural Center of the Southwest.