Bicommunal peace event to take place on September 1st

Political parties, trade unions and organizations from both sides of the divide in Cyprus stressed on Monday their determination to continue their struggle for the reunification of the country.

In a press conference at the Home for Cooperation, in the Nicosia buffer zone, representatives of the 100 organizations said they were organizing a bi-communal event on September 1st, the day the World Federation of Trade Unions (WFTU) chose to establish an Action Day of Trade Unions for Peace, on the anniversary of the beginning of the Second World War "the day Nazi Germany launched an attack on humanity," the 100 groups said in a Joint Declaration.

The Secretary General of PEO trade union, Sotiroula Charalambous read in Greek the Joint Declaration, co-signed by all the organizations, while the chairman of the Turkish Cypriot trade union DEV-IS, Koral Asam, read it in Turkish.

The declaration said that the Cypriot workers, “who, for almost fifty years have been experiencing the results of the imperialist plans of NATO and their allies, express their support to the people who are suffering from war, condemn the violation of international law and demand the immediate end of the war in Ukraine and a peaceful solution based on International law.”

This year's international day of action, it said, has an even greater significance as the dramatic developments in Ukraine following Russia's invasion have caused heavy human and material casualties, further militarisation and arms build-up while rising tensions in the Far East are enhancing the risk of a generalized conflict “with unpredictable consequences for all of humanity.”

They add that the class trade union movement of Cyprus unites its voice with the workers of the whole world in the struggle for peace, “for the dissolution of NATO and all military coalitions, for a world without wars and interventions.”

They also add that the common struggle of the workers to solve the Cyprus problem and reunify Cyprus is part of the wider struggle of the people of the world for world peace.

“The talks on reunification should resume as soon as possible from the point they left off in Crans-Montana, since the passing of time, the absence of dialogue and the creation of new faits accomplis create a negative climate and lead to the final partition of our homeland,” they said.

They also said they will not accept the division of the island and reiterated their commitment to continue their common struggle for peace “and for the reunification of our homeland”, in the context of a bizonal bicommunal federation and for a demilitarized and independent state, which will transform the country “into a bridge of peace and security” for the entire region.

According to the program of the event, on Thursday, September 1, there will be gatherings at 6.30 pm, one in Eleftheria Square in the government-controlled area, and one in Kugulu Park in the Turkish-occupied part of Nicosia, from where participants will march to Ledra Palace and the football pitch in the buffer zone there. The General Secretary of the WFTU, Pambis Kyritsis, will address the event. There will also be a concert by the bi-communal group 'Let's sing together'.

The organizations that co-organize and support the event are political parties, trade unions, bi-communal initiatives, and non-governmental organizations. Among them, PEO, DEV-IS, the Turkish Cypriot Teachers' Union (KTOS) and the secondary teachers' union (KTOEOS), AKEL, the Republican Turkish Party (CTP), the Communal Democracy Party (TDP), New Cyprus Party (YKP), women's and student organizations, professional organizations, etc.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.