Saturday, 26 March 2022.
This Country is Ours Platform, the Bi-Communal Initiative for Peace, and numerous Turkish and Greek Cypriot organisations gathered in Kuğulu Park in Nicosia this morning to demand the resumption of the Cyprus negotiations and the opening of more internal border checkpoints, Yeniduzen reported.
The groups which gathered marched to the Famagusta Gate, while white balloons representing peace were launched simultaneously on both sides of the divide.
There was a strong police presence to accompany the marchers who carried placards bearing slogans such as “Peace cannot be prevented in Cyprus”, “United Independent Federal Cyprus”, “We do not want appointed trustees”, “This country is ours, let’s rule it”, “Let the doors open, negotiations begin”.
Yeniduzen reports that 109 different NGOs from the north and south were represented at the march.
President of the teachers’ union KTÖS Emel Tel, stated that there are political obstacles to the opening of new border checkpoints. He said that multiple new crossing points should be opened across the island, and that they will fight for the improvement of crossings at the existing checkpoints. He emphasised that opening new crossing points would also have the effect of connecting the two Cypriot societies. Tel concluded his statement by saying “Long live our common homeland struggle, long live Federal Cyprus“.