[Congressional Record Volume 160, Number 117 (Thursday, July 24, 2014)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1227]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




               40TH ANNIVERSARY OF THE INVASION OF CYPRUS

                                  _____
                                 

                           HON. STEVE STIVERS

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Thursday, July 24, 2014

  Mr. STIVERS. Mr. Speaker, I rise today to observe 40 years passing 
since the division of the island of Cyprus, and to again encourage a 
final agreement to bring peace and prosperity to all Cypriots.
  Every year, many of my colleagues call for the peaceful reunification 
of Cyprus citing the 1974 military action by Turkey; however, few note 
what precipitated that act.
  Eleven years prior, in 1963, the Partnership Republic of Cyprus 
crumbled due to a Greek-backed coup and its ensuing violence. And, in 
1974, Greek-backed military rules staged another coup in an effort to 
unify Cyprus and Greece, at the expense of the rights of Turkish 
Cypriots.
  In addition to the 40th anniversary of Cyprus' division, I would like 
to note that this year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Annan 
Plan, where Turkish Cypriots showed their good faith to the 
international community and a desire to move forward to a bi-zonal, bi-
communal federation by voting overwhelmingly for the plan. In the years 
of pessimism that has followed, Cypriots from both communities have 
maintained the hope that a comprehensive solution can be achieved. And, 
recent discussions between both parties has given the citizens--and 
me--renewed hope.
  In this air of cautious optimism, I call upon both Cyprus and Greece 
to redouble their efforts to secure a final agreement. I also want to 
call on the Administration to do everything within its power to 
encourage and support this process. I urge my colleagues, who I know 
wish nothing but the best for the island's peoples, to focus on the 
need to resolve a problem that has gone on for far too long, for the 
benefit of all Cypriots.

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