[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 113 (Friday, July 18, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1196]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




    RECOGNIZING THE 40TH ANNIVERSARY OF TURKEY'S INVASION OF CYPRUS

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                           HON. STEVE ISRAEL-

                              of new york

                    in the house of representatives

                         Friday, July 18, 2014

  Mr. ISRAEL. Mr. Speaker, on July 20th, the people of Cyprus will mark 
the 40th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of that island nation, an 
invasion which resulted in the division of the island which still scars 
the landscape to this very day. As we mark this anniversary, I call for 
the end of the Turkish military occupation and the peaceful 
reunification of the island under its internationally recognized 
government.
  For forty years, Cypriots have suffered not only from the division of 
their beloved nation, but also from the confiscation of their homes, 
expulsion from their lands, and the uprooting of centuries old 
communities. It is time for this to end.
  I am pleased the Cyprus Government is committed to the U.N.-sponsored 
process to reach a sustainable and enduring settlement that would 
reunify Cyprus based on a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation in 
accordance with relevant U.N. Security Council resolutions and we 
should recognize the importance of the Joint Statement agreed to on 
February 11, 2014.
  As Cyprus is not only a close friend and democratic ally of the 
United States, but also a partner for regional stability, be it in 
cooperation with the State of Israel in harnessing the natural gas 
reserves of the eastern Mediterranean, or playing a constructive role 
in the European Union, we owe it to the Cypriots, to stand by them as 
they move forward in finding a peaceful resolution and reunification of 
the island.

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