Political Quotes

“Mr. President, I rise in remembrance of a deeply tragic anniversary for the Cypriot-American community, their friends and relatives in Cyprus, and for people everywhere who believe in timeless values such as liberty and human dignity. Thirty-six years ago today, the armed forces of Turkey invaded Cyprus in flagrant violation of international law, occupied the north of the island state, and put in place a heavily armed force that continues to occupy nearly 37 percent of Cyprus' territory. There are more than 43,000 Turkish troops on Cyprus--that is approximately one Turkish soldier for every two Turkish Cypriots. Meanwhile, the occupation, expropriation, and destruction of Greek Cypriot-owned property in the north of the island continues unabated. Indeed, thousands of U.S. citizens of Cypriot descent have claims to such properties. So too continues the egregious desecration of Greek Orthodox churches and sacred religious artifacts that are not only sacred to hundreds of millions of faithful believers but beautiful and historic sites and objects of inherent cultural value to all of humanity. The international community, speaking through resolution after resolution by the United Nations Security Council and General Assembly, has since 1974 called for an end to the division of Cyprus and the return of refugees to their homes. After 36 frustrating years of diplomatic stops and starts, a cavalcade of U.N.…”