Katie Porter: “we come to the floor today, as we have many times before, to commemorate the sad anniversary of the division of Cyprus.…”

“we come to the floor today, as we have many times before, to commemorate the sad anniversary of the division of Cyprus. I want to commend my friend and colleague from Florida for initiating this annual special order, and express my deep regret that it is again necessary for us to come together to mark this occasion. The history of this conflict, marked by strong feelings and a lingering threat of violence, speaks to the difficulty of finding a permanent solution. Over 1,600 Greek Cypriots and 5 Americans are among those who remain missing 23 years after the invasion. A generation of Cypriots on both sides of the green line has grown up knowing only division, hate and mistrust. Over 35,000 heavily armed Turkish troops continue to occupy the upper one-third of this beautiful country, despite the fact that this military occupation is recognized to be illegal and in violation of numerous U.N. resolutions. Turkish Cypriots are being displaced in their own homeland by settlers from Turkey who do not share their Cypriot culture. While the military division of the island has been a tragedy the world has long recognized, the economic divergence between the two communities which is currently taking place not threatens the future of the island in a different way. Since I stood here on this date a year ago, the Clinton administration and the international community have made strong statements about their resolve to find a solution to the Cyprus problem.”