Thousands of emails urging a focus on the Cyprus problem have been sent to over half of the British Members of Parliament through #HandsOffCyprus, an annual campaign from the National Federation of Cypriots in the United Kingdom.

This year marks the 52nd anniversary of the Turkish invasion of and subsequent occupation of part of Cyprus.

The federation is calling this year for the UK to “do everything possible to get Turkey back to the negotiating table” for a solution based on “the agreed UN framework” and international and European Union law.

The #HandsOffCyprus campaign urges the Cypriot community in the UK to use an emailing tool on the federation’s website to send a letter to their MP. The email is advertised as taking “less than 30 seconds of your time” to complete.

“We must continue our efforts to spread the message that Cypriots want to see the end of Turkey’s illegal on-going occupation,” federation president Christos Karaolis said.

The federation called on those who have not participated yet to send an email to their MP.

In the last month, the United Nations Secretary-General Antonio Guterres’ envoy on Cyprus Maria Angela Holguin has had meetings with Cypriot, Turkish and European Union leaders with the goal of organising an enlarged meeting for talks to resume.