The reunification of Cyprus is a “non-negotiable goal” for the government, Deputy Culture Minister Vasiliki Kassianidou said on Friday.

She added that “the current unacceptable state of affairs in Cyprus does not constitute a solution for Cyprus nor for its people.”

Addressing a concert in the village of Achna against Turkish occupation, Kassianidou said the memory of war remains alive through the narratives of people and through art, “which becomes the voice of the people, transforming pain into creation, strength and sacrifice into duty.”

“We are called upon to stand united and determined, to demand freedom, justice and the reunification of our homeland, because memory is not only the memory of war, of refugeehood, it is also a commitment to the future,” she added.