The need for unity at home was underlined in statements on Tuesday by President of the Republic, Nikos Christodoulides, after a memorial service for those who fell during the coup of 15 July 1974, at the Cemetery of Saints Constantine and Helen in Nicosia, in the presence of the country’s political, religious and military leadership.

“We are here to honour all those who fought, who sacrificed themselves so that the Republic of Cyprus could exist today, they fought for the territorial integrity, the sovereignty of the Republic of Cyprus, (which is) the most important thing we have,” said President Christodoulides, adding that “internal unity is the most basic condition in order for us to be able to achieve our goals, especially at this juncture.”

Subsequently, the President of the Republic laid a wreath at the Resistance Monument in the Presidential Palace Park.

The event took place at the Monument site, in the presence of the state, political and military leadership, representatives of parties and resistance bodies and organisations, as well as relatives of the resistance fighters, whose representatives also laid wreaths.

Finally, before his departure for New York, where the informal expanded meeting on Cyprus will take place, the President of the Republic attended the special session of the Plenary of the House of Representatives for the anniversaries of the coup and the Turkish invasion.

Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when the Greek military junta staged a coup d’etat in Cyprus on July 15th, 1974, followed by Turkey’s invasion of the island on July 20th, 1974, and the occupation of its northern third since then. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively.