Thomas Manton: “July 20th will mark the 23d anniversary of Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus and their continued occupation of the…”

“July 20th will mark the 23d anniversary of Turkey's illegal invasion of Cyprus and their continued occupation of the country of Cyprus. I rise today to join my colleagues to commemorate this event. I particularly want to thank Congressman Bilirakis for arranging this special order. Mr. Speaker, this is an important event in the history of Cyprus because it marks the end of the Greek Cypriots freedom to practice their religion, educate their children as they see fit and express themselves in an open and free manner. Since Turkey first invaded Cyprus in 1974, 1,619 people, including five Americans, were last seen alive in the occupied areas of Cyprus and have never been accounted for. We must not let the passage of years weaken our determination to pressure the Turkish Government to provide answers for the families of the missing. We cannot forget that their suffering continues. Last summer, Cyprus was witness to some of the worst outbreaks of violence in their region since 1974. The two separate hostile incidents left two young men dead and many injured. This illustrates the need to bring to an end the illegal occupation of the island of Cyprus.”