President Nikos Christodoulides, met on Monday with the Maronite Archbishop, Selim Sfeir, the Latin Bishop, Variano Bruno, the Chargé d’Affaires of the Holy See in Cyprus, Giorgio Chezza, and the representative of the Maronite religious group in the House of Representatives, Yiannakis Moussa, at the presidential palace.

Also present were the community leaders of the occupied Catholic Maronite villages: Pantelis Hadjifessas, Antonis Karachannas, Antonis Solomis, and Christakis Hadjiantonis. On the government side, the deputy government spokesman, Yiannis Antoniou, attended.

During the meeting, Moussa congratulated the president “for his unceasing efforts” on the Cyprus issue.

He added, “We firmly believe that with your passion and readiness, you will succeed in resuming the talks. With God’s help, we will reach a solution to the Cyprus issue.”
In response, the president expressed his pride in the Maronites of Cyprus, whose four villages are under occupation.

He said, “The efforts we are making concern the survival of the Maronites. That is why we are taking many decisions, as I promised. This includes the school in Kormakitis and the recent increase in resettlement allowances, the first in many years. If I recall correctly, the last increase was during the government of Tassos Papadopoulos.”

He continued, “I know the particular sensitivity regarding the two villages that the Maronites cannot visit. I would like to discuss this today, but I do not want to say more publicly. What matters is the result.”