Sean Patrick Maloney: “once again, as I have every year that I have been a Member of Congress, it is my distinct honor and privilege to…”

“once again, as I have every year that I have been a Member of Congress, it is my distinct honor and privilege to commemorate the 26th anniversary of the 1974 illegal Turkish invasion of Cyprus. Over 77 members of the Hellenic Caucus join me in the spirit of remembering this important illegal date. The continued presence of Turkish troops represents a gross violation of human rights and international law. Although the President has only a little more than 6 months remaining in office, he has a golden opportunity to once and for all help resolve the problem of reuniting Cyprus. Since their invasion of Cyprus in July of 1974, Turkish troops have continued to occupy 37 percent of Cyprus. This is in direct defiance of numerous nations' resolutions and has been a major source of instability in the eastern Mediterranean, but recent events have created an atmosphere where there is now no valid excuse for not resolving this long-standing, thorny problem. However, this cannot happen without the committed and sustained U.S. leadership.”