[Congressional Record (Bound Edition), Volume 159 (2013), Part 9]
[House]
[Page 12448]
[From the U.S. Government Publishing Office, www.gpo.gov]




            39TH ANNIVERSARY OF ILLEGAL OCCUPATION OF CYPRUS

  (Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York asked and was given permission 
to address the House for 1 minute and to revise and extend her 
remarks.)
  Mrs. CAROLYN B. MALONEY of New York. Mr. Speaker, today, I rise in 
honor of July 20, which is a special day of remembrance for the 
families and loved ones of all those who have suffered so greatly as a 
result of one of the biggest national tragedies in modern Greek 
history: the 1974 illegal invasion and occupation of the island of 
Cyprus by Turkish soldiers. It happened 39 years ago this week.
  The invasion forced nearly thousands of Greek Cypriots to leave their 
homes in the occupied area and become refugees in their own country. 
Their religious and cultural sites were damaged and destroyed, their 
religious freedoms restricted, and their rights disrespected. In 
violation of international law, the Turkish soldiers remain there 
still, occupying more than one-third of the island. They ignore all the 
U.N. resolutions pertaining to Cyprus--and there have been many passed.
  As the cochair and cofounder of the Congressional Hellenic Caucus, I 
have worked diligently with my colleagues in the Caucus out of our 
mutual concern for the continued division and occupation of Cyprus. We 
continue to work to raise awareness of the Cyprus problem and the role 
the U.S. can play to support the negotiations.
  The people of Cyprus deserve a unified and democratic country--and we 
are working towards that end.

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