Sakellaropoulou on official visit to Cyprus: We must fight for end of Turkish occupation

Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou has made her first official visit to Cyprus since coming in to office, visiting the Imprisoned Monuments and the Tomb of Makedonitissa last night.

Upon her arrival at the Imprisoned Monuments, she was welcomed by the Minister of Justice and Public Order of Cyprus, Emily Giolitis. This was followed by a hymn, the laying of a wreath and a guided tour of the area.

“Today we are deeply saddened and we honour the heroes who fell for the freedom of Cyprus. The least debt to their memory is to fight with unshakable faith and perseverance for the end of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of Cyprus,” President Sakellaropoulou said on Tuesday.

The President of the Hellenic Republic added that the fight to free Cyprus of their Turkish occupation is ongoing.

“Let us fight with unshakable faith and perseverance for the end of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of Cyprus,” President Sakellaropoulou said on Tuesday.

Sakellaropoulou said on Monday that “Greece, like Cyprus, looks forward to a constructive change in Turkey’s stance, in compliance with the Charter of the United Nations, with International Law and with the Law of the Sea, as well as with the Security Council’s resolutions on Cyprus.”

“Until then, we will not stop defending – not even momentarily and with all the legal means at our disposal – our sovereignty and our sovereign rights,” she stressed, noting that “towards this goal, the European Union has been, and will remain, the main field of our coordinated political and diplomatic effort.”

“The questioning and violation of the sovereign rights of Greece and the Republic of Cyprus, two member states of the European Union, offends and challenges the Union itself,” she added.