Gus Bilirakis: “As a result, Mr. Speaker, of Turkey's illegal invasion, 1,619 people are missing. Among these missing, five are U.S.…”

“As a result, Mr. Speaker, of Turkey's illegal invasion, 1,619 people are missing. Among these missing, five are U.S. citizens. In addition, more than 200,000 Cypriots were forcibly driven from their homes and are now refugees, a people without a home. To date, Turkey continues its illegal occupation of the northern portion of Cyprus, maintaining more than 35,000 troops and some 80,000 settlers there. Clearly, this occupation continues to serve as a wedge among Cyprus, Turkey, and Greece. In fact, relations among these three countries have recently deteriorated from the dispute over the island of Imia, as Mr. Gilman mentioned, this past January, to the shooting of an unarmed Greek teenager by the Turkish occupation army in Cyprus this June. These incidents, Mr. Speaker, are just a few of the many hostile actions taken by Turkey and are indicative of Turkey's aggressive behavior towards Cyprus and Greece.”