*Press Release
The new parliamentary year at the European Parliament begins with a significant success for Cyprus, as the Committee on Women’s Rights and Gender Equality (FEMM) has approved an amendment tabled by DISY & EPP MEP Loukas Fourlas, in his capacity as Shadow Rapporteur for the European People’s Party, regarding the FEMM budget.
ΣΧΕΤΙΚΑ ΑΡΘΡΑ
The amendment calls on the Commission, in cooperation with the Republic of Cyprus, to fund the construction of a memorial honoring and commemorating the victims of sexual violence during the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus.
This development represents yet another important step in the effort to highlight, at the European level, one of the most tragic and painful aspects of the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus.
In a statement, the Head of the Cypriot Delegation to the EPP, MEP Loukas Fourlas, emphasized that the effort does not end with the adoption of the resolution but is now moving on to the next stage: its implementation.
“We did not stop at the adoption of the resolution. We are moving forward with the implementation of everything it calls for. Europe must know and remember. The women who suffered sexual violence in 1974 cannot remain a footnote in history. Their memory must be preserved, and the historical truth must be brought to light.”
Mr. Fourlas noted that the creation of such a memorial is not only an act of remembrance but also a concrete acknowledgment of the victims’ suffering and the historical reality of the Turkish invasion.
The initiative is part of the MEP’s ongoing effort to highlight the human rights dimension and, in particular, the crimes committed during the Turkish invasion and occupation of Cyprus.
“Vindicating the victims, preserving their memory, and bringing historical truth to light is not merely an obligation to the past. It is a responsibility toward the future,” the MEP concluded.
The adoption of the amendment represents another step toward concrete European support for the Republic of Cyprus’s efforts to preserve historical memory and restore the truth about the events of 1974.
