THERESA VILLIERS ATTENDS MORPHOU RALLY

Theresa Villiers, MP for Chipping Barnet, recently returned from a trip to Cyprus (9th to 11th October) where she attended the annual rally for Morphou to show solidarity with its residents who were forced from their homes during the 1974 invasion. The rally took place in the presence of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Christofias, at Astromeritis Village where the green line is closest to Morphou. The rally was attended by dignitaries, local councillors, mayors and parliamentarians from many countries including the Mayor of Barnet, Cllr Brian Coleman AM, Marina Yannakoudakis MEP, Cllr Matthew Offord, Cllrs Joanna and Andreas Tambourides, Cllr Lynne Hillan and Roger Gale MP.

Theresa gave a speech to the rally reaffirming her support for a just and balanced settlement in Cyprus which would see all its communities living harmoniously together.

Following the rally, she said: “My visit to Cyprus has involved a busy programme of events including very useful discussions and updates on the current situation in Cyprus.  These included a meeting with relatives of the missing persons. The fact that the remains of over a hundred people have been located is welcome but this is still less than 10% of the total. Turkey needs to cooperate fully on giving the relatives of the missing the answers that they have been seeking for so long.”

“Attending the unveiling of a memorial to Polycarpos Pratsis, whose remains were recently returned to his mother was a deeply moving occasion. It made all those attending once again comprehend the scale of the tragedy that left so many mothers grieving for their missing sons and left without the truth for over 30 years.”

“The rally was as successful as ever with a strong show of support for the residents of Morphou who are still denied the chance to return to the homes from which they fled in 1974. It was an honour to be able to address the rally in the presence of the President of the Republic of Cyprus and so many dignitaries from around the world.”

“In my speech to the rally, I expressed concern that progress in the talks is being held back by inflexibility on the part of the Turkish Cypriot side and I called for support for the Cyprus issue from the international community, the EU and the UN."

Morphou is one of Barnet’s twin towns.