Chris Pappas: “Mr. Speaker, today I rise to add my voice to the chorus calling for justice in Cyprus. Twenty-three years ago, 6,000…”

“Mr. Speaker, today I rise to add my voice to the chorus calling for justice in Cyprus. Twenty-three years ago, 6,000 Turkish troops and 40 tanks landed on the north coast of Cyprus and captured nearly 40 percent of the island. Today 35,000 troops occupy the northern portion of Cyprus; 1,619 people remain missing, including 5 Americans. A barbed wire fence known as the Green Line cuts across the island, separating towns and people that had lived together for many generations. Mistrust and animosity have spread beyond this island to our NATO partners Turkey and Greece. This is not good. Efforts are undertaken but they are not enough. The United States, the European Union, NATO, and the United Nations must do more now before this sore develops into a permanent cancer between our NATO partners and the peace and security of southeast Europe. We must remember that this problem started by the violent invasion of Cyprus by Turkey, and lasting peace can only be restored by the removal of the Turkish armed aggressors.”