11.09.2024 – In light of our statement on the 50th anniversary of the NATO-planned Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the Union of Cypriots reaffirms its commitment to the complete liberation of Cyprus from imperialist occupation and settler colonialism. For five decades, the occupation has been oppressing Turkish-speaking Cypriots and continues to deny Greek-speaking Cypriots their right to return to their homes.
NATO powers continue to treat the island as an unsinkable aircraft carrier, dictating apartheid-like arrangements such as the “bicommunal bizonal federation” or the “two-state” solutions to facilitate war crimes, most recently using Cyprus to support “Israel’s ” actions in Palestine and as a base for bombing Yemen, all enabled by the status quo they created.
We reject the false narrative of Cyprus as a ‘divided island’ and underscore the reality that Cyprus is occupied. Therefore, the solution is not a so-called “reunification” under imperialist conditions, but the complete liberation of Cyprus.
On 10 October 1964, the Non-Aligned Movement adopted a declaration affirming the sovereignty, unity, and independence of the Republic of Cyprus in response to Turkey’s early actions against the Cypriot people, a position later referenced and supported by United Nations General Assembly Resolution 2077 (XX) in 1965.
As the Union of Cypriots, we therefore celebrate 10 October as International Solidarity Day with the Cypriot People, and invite anti-imperialists worldwide to join or initiate solidarity actions for Cyprus. We call on progressives to stand for the territorial and social integrity of the unitary Republic of Cyprus, support the national and class unity of Cypriots, resist imperialist occupation, and advance the broader struggle for a free West Asia and North Africa.
Liberate Cyprus, Free West Asia and North Africa, Defeat Imperialism!
10 October marks the anniversary of the anti-imperialist Declaration adopted at the 2nd Summit of the Non-Aligned Movement held in Cairo in 1964, which called upon states to respect the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Cyprus after Turkey’s early actions against the Republic of Cyprus. Parts of the Declaration regarding Cyprus, which are also referenced by United Nations resolutions, state:
“Concerned by the situation existing with regard to Cyprus, the Conference calls upon all states in conformity with their obligations under the Charter of the United Nations, and in particular under Article 2, paragraph 4, to respect the sovereignty, unity, independence, and territorial integrity of Cyprus and to refrain from any threat or use of force or intervention directed against Cyprus and from any efforts to impose upon Cyprus unjust solutions unacceptable to the people of Cyprus.
Cyprus, as an equal member of the United Nations, is entitled to and should enjoy unrestricted and unfettered sovereignty and independence, and allowing its people to determine freely, and without any foreign intervention or interference, the political future of the country, in accordance with the Charter of the United Nations.”
– The declaration of the International Coordination of Revolutionary Parties and Organizations (ICOR) supporting the Union of Cypriots’ call for the observance of October 10 as International Solidarity Day with the Cypriot People: https://www.icor.info/en/en/2024/freedom-for-cyprus-50-years-of-turkish-invasion
– The announcement of the global day of action by the International League of Peoples’ Struggle (ILPS), supporting the Union of Cypriots’ call for the observance of October 10 as International Solidarity Day with the Cypriot People: https://peoplesstruggle.org/en/10-10-%f0%9f%87%a8%f0%9f%87%be-global-day-of-action-for-cyprus/
