Maria Vamvakinou (Calwell, Australian Labor Party) Share this | Hansard source

I move:

That this House:

(1) acknowledges that 20 July 2014 marks 40 years since Cyprus was divided;

(2) recognises the continuing support of this parliament and successive Australian governments towards achieving a just and fair resolution for the Cyprus problem;

(3) urges the Australian Government to aid the current peace process based on relevant United Nations resolutions, including United Nations Security Council resolutions 2135 (2014) of 30 January 2014 and 1251 (1999) of 29 June 1999 and subsequent resolutions, on respecting the sovereignty, independence and territorial integrity of Cyprus;

(4) notes that any solution to the Cyprus conflict should result in the demilitarisation and reunification of the island for the benefit and welfare of its entire people and peace in the region; and

(5) recognises 50 years of continuing service by the Australian Federal Police in the United Nations peacekeeping mission in Cyprus that this House reaffirms.

On 20 July 1974, in violation of international law, Cyprus was invaded by neighbouring Turkey, occupying 37 per cent of its territory and leading to its effective partition ever since. In its wake, the 1974 invasion and division of Cyprus has led to hundreds of thousands of Cypriots being driven from their ancestral homelands. Forcibly displaced Cypriot refugees, many of whom have made Australia their new home, are now still waiting for justice to be restored and for their right to return.

Today's motion acknowledges that 40 years have now passed and that Cyprus and its people still remain separated. This is despite the continuous peacemaking efforts by the international community to resolve one of the world's longest conflicts. The Green Line, which divides Cyprus's capital, Nicosia, is a stark reminder of that city's unenviable status as Europe's last remaining divided city.

Yet, despite the continuing division of Cyprus, the Turkish military presence and the prevention of Cypriot refugees from returning to their homelands, and despite failed UN peace efforts, there are signs for optimism. As per the joint communique of 11 February by the two community leaders, we are currently witnessing a new round of UN led peace talks. I am certain that I express the sentiment of this parliament when I sincerely wish both leaders, the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr Nicos Anastasiades, and his Turkish Cypriot counterpart, Mr Dervis Eroglu, strength, courage, fortitude and wisdom to reach a just, lasting and peaceful settlement for the sake of all Cypriots. Australia, its people and this parliament—though far away—remain steadfast by the side Cypriots to assist them, in whatever capacity, in making peace a reality.

During his visit to Cyprus on 21 May of this year, US Vice President Joe Biden avowed that a 'deal is possible' and that 'peace should be the Cypriots' legacy to their children'. In echoing these sentiments, I hope that the United States, as well as the international community, stay focused on the Cyprus peace process. Promising also is the joint interfaith communique by Cyprus's religious leaders—the Archbishop of Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, and the Mufti of Cyprus, Dr Talip Atalay, as well as the Maronite archbishop Youssef Soueif, the Armenian archbishop Varoujan Herkelian and the patriarchal Latin vicar George Kraj—who on 26 February welcomed the recommencement of the peace talks. Cyprus's peace talks are predicated on the premise that reunification of the island is the only solution that will integrate its people, economy and governance, for the prosperity and wellbeing of all Cypriots, allowing them to realise the full potential of their EU membership.

The road to peace is a long one. During this time there have been encouraging moments that inspire hope that, despite 40 years of anguish, a solution is both viable and desirable. In 2003, the partial lifting of movement along the partitioning line allowed Greek and Turkish Cypriots crossover passage to the north and south for the first time since 1974. Indeed, as I reported to this parliament on 23 September 2002, I had visited northern Cyprus in July 2002, with my husband, and we were taken by a Turkish Cypriot politician, Mr Ilker Nevzat, to visit my husband's home village of Ayios Epiktitos—the home that he and his family had to flee as the invading Turkish forces advanced. The subsequent friendships we have built with many Turkish Cypriots makes me believe, without doubt, that goodwill and determination for reunification exists amongst the people of Cyprus. It is they who are driving the peace agenda, and, whilst a political solution is being negotiated, people-to-people diplomacy is progressing unabated, yielding results and preparing the groundwork for integration and reunification.

I am proud to say that Australian governments have over the years supported Cyprus, through the UN resolutions and our peacekeeping and peace-building efforts. The AFP recently celebrated its 50 years of continuous presence on the island. I was there last year at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery of Waynes Keep, located in the buffer zone, for an Anzac Day dawn service representing this parliament.

In commemorating the 50th anniversary of Australian civilian police involvement with the UN peacekeeping forces in Cyprus, we take the opportunity to pay tribute to the thousands of Australian police officers who served in Cyprus, as well as to the three policemen, Sergeant Llewelyn John Thomas, Inspector Patrick Hackett and Sergeant Ian Donald Ward, who, with 181 other peacekeepers, lost their lives in the cause of peace.

However, this House today reaffirms Australia's continued support for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, and in accordance with the relevant UN resolutions calls for the reunification of the island with a single sovereignty, international personality and citizenship; a solution which rectifies past injustices, reconciles human rights with group security, upholds the fundamental precepts of liberal democracy and fortifies the foundations for integration and unification.

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