Maronite Cypriot non-voting representative in parliament Petros Nacouzi on Friday met United Nations Cyprus problem envoy Maria Angela Holguin, and after the meeting said that for his community “the resolution of the Cyprus problem is directly linked to the return to our villages”, the majority of which they fled after 1974.

Additionally, he said his community links a solution to the Cyprus problem to “the protection of our cultural and religious heritage and the ability of younger generations to maintain a living connection with their roots”.

“The voice of the Maronites must be heard, and our needs and rights must be substantively taken into account in any effort regarding the future of Cyprus,” he said.

He added that “at the same time, it remains essential to promote practical measures which improve daily life in the four Maronite villages and support our residents and displaced persons”.

“We are continuing with consistency, realism, and persistence, working towards a peaceful Cyprus which offers security and prospects for all,” he said.

Maronites have received fervent support from Bagimsizlik Yolu

In recent times, the most fervent backing for the Maronite Cypriots’ cause has come from Turkish Cypriot anarcho-communist political party Bagimsizlik Yolu [Independence Path], which in August said that “the longstanding, unresolved issue of the return of the Maronites to their villages could serve as a constructive confidence-building measure”.

“As is known, the return of Maronites to their villages reached its final stages during the tenure of the four-party government led by Tufan Erhurman as its prime minister,” between 2018 and 2019, it said.

However, it added, the matter was “subsequently shelved under the pretext of pursuing a ‘comprehensive solution’”.

It said that now, “the ‘Maronite initiative’, which entails the demilitarisation of three villages and the return of their inhabitants, could be brought about through unilateral steps taken by the Turkish Cypriot side”.

“Consultations with the military regarding such an initiative had previously taken place, and the necessary funds had even been allocated in the budget, yet the process was suspended for no reason,” it said.

‘The Maronites are not a party to the Cyprus conflict’

It then added that “the Maronites are not a party to the Cyprus conflict”, but instead “a minority community which has been among those most severely affected by the tensions and clashes between the two main communities”.

“If Tufan Erhurman, who claims to attach importance to confidence-building measures, wishes to present this issue as a positive example for all peoples living in Cyprus, he should approach it not by asking ‘what can I gain?’, but by asking, ‘what can I do to build confidence?’,” it said.

Additionally, it said, “the restoration of three Maronite villages … would serve as a powerful demonstration, directed at the Greek Cypriot authorities who have treated the Turkish Cypriots as a mere minority, that the Turkish Cypriot community is, in fact, a democratic society which has embraced multiculturalism”.