A new scheme to support the maintenance and repair of homes belonging to enclaved and resettled Greek Cypriots in the occupied north is in the final stages of preparation, the presidential commissioner’s office said on Thursday.

The scheme is being developed at the initiative of Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis in cooperation with the Cyprus Scientific and Technical Chamber (Etek).

Hartsiotis met representatives of the interior ministry and Etek on Thursday to examine the final outstanding issues before the scheme is completed and submitted for approval.

According to the commissioner’s office, the meeting followed earlier discussions between Hartsiotis and Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, during which the main parameters of the initiative were discussed and it was agreed that procedures should be accelerated.

The relevant government departments are now working to finalise the remaining procedures and move the scheme forward for approval.

The initiative forms part of the government’s wider policy to support enclaved Greek Cypriots and those who have resettled in communities in the north, with a particular focus on improving their living conditions.

The commissioner’s office said the aim was for the scheme to provide “a substantial and practical support tool” for people who continue to live in their ancestral communities despite particularly difficult circumstances.