Posted by George Patsourakos
on 8/28/2009, 5:28 pm
Archbishop Chrysostomos of Cyprus announced today that he will depart to the European Courts next month to file a lawsuit designed to end 35 years of Turkish control of the northern third of the island.
Referring to Turkish occupiers of Cypriot land, the Archbishop said, "The colonists have no right to be in Cyprus; they are intruders."
His three-fold lawsuit against Turkey says, "First, they do not allow us to go back to our places of worship to pray and conduct the services of our Orthodox Church; second, they do not allow us to maintain our churches; and third, they do not allow us to make use of our property to upkeep and take care of it."
Archbishop Chrysostomos added, "This is a three-fold lawsuit and already our lawyers are more than ready, and I think with the help of God next month we will lay down a lawsuit."
Turkey gained control of the northern third of Cyprus in 1974, when troops from Greece were sent to the island at Cyprus's request in order to strengthen its military forces, but the Greek troops instead unsuccessfully tried to overtake the Cypriot forces, in an attempt to annex the island to Greece.
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