Newsroom
The restoration of historic religious buildings is continuing across Cyprus, with conservation work recently completed at the mosque in Koilani, Limassol district, and the Church of Ayia Paraskevi in Palaiosofos, Kyrenia district.
Sotos Ktoris, Co-Chair of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage, announced the completed projects in social media posts, describing the Koilani mosque’s preservation as an opportunity to connect the island’s past with its future.
“The conservation of the mosque in Koilani keeps alive the hope that our cultural heritage can bridge Cyprus’ past with its future, building bonds of trust among the people of this land.”
The mosque is among the oldest in Limassol district. Its conservation was funded by the European Union and carried out under the technical guidance of the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP).
The completed work in Palaiosofos forms part of the same effort to protect historic religious sites across the island. Ktoris also announced that conservation work had begun at the Church of Ayia Irene in the village of the same name in Kyrenia district.
The projects form part of efforts to safeguard Cyprus’ cultural heritage, including monuments that reflect the island’s different religious traditions and historical communities. The Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage works with international partners to support the preservation of such sites.
Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded the island and occupied its northern part. Despite successive United Nations-led initiatives to reunify the country, negotiations have yet to produce a settlement. The latest major round of talks, held at Crans-Montana in Switzerland in July 2017, ended without an agreement.
The UN has continued efforts to bring the two sides back to negotiations. Secretary-General António Guterres has expressed his intention to convene another meeting involving the parties and guarantor powers following adequate preparation, while his Personal Envoy on Cyprus, María Ángela Holguín, has been tasked with engaging with the sides. The European Commission is represented on Cyprus by Executive Vice-President Raffaele Fitto, who succeeded Johannes Hahn as its special representative.
