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Legislative Council - Fifty-Fourth Parliament, First Session (54-1)
2018-08-01 Daily Xml
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Cyprus

The Hon. I. PNEVMATIKOS (15:49): Today, I rise to speak out in support of Cyprus and the goal of unification and demilitarisation of the island country situated in the Aegean. According to Greek mythology, Cyprus was the birthplace of the goddess of love, Aphrodite. Unfortunately, in contrast, Cyprus' modern history has been characterised by conflict, war, turmoil and death.

This year marks 44 years of unresolved tensions since Turkey's military invasion and part annexation of Cyprus. Approximately 200,000 Cypriots were driven from their homes and became refugees, while 4,000 people lost their lives and around 1,619 people went missing. The result has been that Turkey, and Turkey alone, recognises the northern part of Cyprus as independent from the south.

The island continues to remain divided and partitioned, with the northern third occupied by Turkish Cypriots and the southern two-thirds inhabited by Greek Cypriots. The dividing line between the two parts, known as the green line, is patrolled by United Nations peacekeeping troops.

What occurred in 1974 and continues to remain unresolved lives within the minds and hearts of many in our communities in South Australia. Each year in South Australia the Cyprus Community of South Australia Incorporated, in association with the Justice for Cyprus Coordinating Committee of South Australia (otherwise known as SEKA), organises a series of events to mark the 44th anniversary on this occasion of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. These events are an expression of solidarity and support to the people of Cyprus wherever they may be, and a mark of respect to those who lost their lives for liberty.

I attended their wreath laying service, advocating for a just and viable solution to the Turkish military occupation and forced division of the island and its people. I have also met with the President of the Democratic Rally Party of Cyprus, Averof Neophytou; Deputy Minister of Shipping for the Republic of Cyprus, Natasha Pilidou; the President of the Cyprus Community in Adelaide, Andreas Evdokiou; Chairman of the Justice for Cyprus Committee, Peter Ppiros; and the High Commissioner of the Republic of Cyprus, Martha Mavrommati, over the recent events and commemorations.

We discussed how we, our multicultural community with strong ties to Cyprus, can best provide support on this matter to achieve unification and demilitarisation of the island. We discussed the importance of collaborative initiatives between Cyprus and South Australia in terms of cultural exchange and economic cooperation.

We have seen in recent years the success of sharing and promoting culture within the wider community. For example, the annual Cyprus Greek festival is a celebration of Cypriot/Greek culture, shared with the wider community. Each year it continues to gain interest and support. Our respective governments should be encouraging more activities like this.

We also discussed the importance of our government discussing collaboration at a business level. Cyprus is a gateway to the EU, and the state government should be considering the potential to encourage collaboration. I look forward to meeting again with members of the Cypriot community to discuss how together we can collaborate and support the unification and demilitarisation of Cyprus.

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