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

Saturday, 20 July marked the 45th anniversary of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus. It is now 45 years since the division of Cyprus. Its capital city, Nicosia, is the last remaining divided capital city. Commemorative events marking the invasion of Cyprus by Turkey on 20 July 1974 were held across Cyprus and across its diaspora, including in Australia. Cypriots the world over have not forgotten—and, indeed, will never forget—the still ongoing occupation and division of their homeland.

I want to note that Australia has supported at a bipartisan level the Republic of Cyprus in its 45-year struggle for a peaceful and just resolution. Australia has also sought to play a constructive role in bringing the Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot communities together through dialogue in search of a way forward. This year also marks the 10th anniversary of the Cyprus academic dialogue, an Australian initiative established under the then Rudd Labor government. Reflective of our country's bipartisanship on this issue, this dialogue continues to be supported by our government today. I've had the privilege of meeting many Cypriot politicians, academics and civil society members from both the Greek and Turkish Cypriot communities as they have worked their way towards peace. A lot of that contact happened during the presidential term of Dimitris Christofias and Turkish Cypriot leader Mehmet Ali Talat.

On Friday 21 June this year, His Excellency Mr Dimitris Christofias, the former President of the Republic of Cyprus, passed away at the age of 72. President Christofias dedicated his life to pursuing justice for his beloved homeland, and fought hard during his term as president to secure its reunification. Dimitris Christofias was born in the village of Dhikomo, in the Kyrenia region, in the now occupied north of Cyprus. He was himself a refugee. He was first elected to the Cypriot parliament in May 1991. In 2001 he was elected President of the House of Representatives. He served as the sixth President of Cyprus from 2008 to 2013.

I met President Christofias on a number of occasions throughout his career both here and in Cyprus. He last visited Australia in 2011. President Christofias valued the close ties between our two countries. Australia has the second-largest Cypriot community outside of Cyprus.

Dimitris Christofias was a warrior for Cyprus. He supported rapprochement with his compatriots, the Turkish Cypriots. He believed that the two communities could find a way forward to resolve the issues hindering reunification. He considered his Turkish Cypriots as fellow Cypriots who, away from all the political posturing and interferences of those who work against reunification, could be persuaded to be bold. In his own words, whilst visiting Adelaide in 2011:

Turkish Cypriots are not our enemies. They are our brothers. They are Cypriots like us.

He was a humble man who will always be remembered as a strong and astute political leader. On behalf of the Australia-Cyprus Parliamentary Friendship Group, I want to pass on sympathies to his family and to the people of Cyprus.