Nicosia, Cyprus. PEO Secretary General Sotiroula Charalambous said recent developments in the Eastern Mediterranean underscore the urgent need for a solution to the Cyprus problem, warning that the current situation does not guarantee stability or security. She said a comprehensive settlement could contribute to demilitarisation, stability and peace in the region.
Joint union declaration and reunification stance
Charalambous, reading from a joint declaration of PEO and Turkish Cypriot trade unions, said Cyprus could become a zone of peace, security and stability where workers live and work under conditions of social justice and dignity. On what she described as a symbolic day for the working class worldwide, she said the declaration reiterates that workers do not compromise with division and that the reunification of Cyprus remains a priority.
Framework for a settlement and call to resume talks
Charalambous reaffirmed commitment to a solution within the agreed framework of a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, with one state, one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality. She said there has been no substantial progress on the Cyprus issue for almost a decade, adding that stagnation, absence of dialogue and the ongoing deadlock lead to the entrenchment of partition, and she called on the two leaders to show political will to resume talks from where they left off at the Crans Montana talks of 2017.
Workers’ issues and May Day programme
Beyond the Cyprus issue, Charalambous said workers across the island face rising living costs, low wages, insecurity, attacks on collective agreements and insufficient health and safety measures. Under this year’s slogan “Common Struggle for a Common Homeland Against Wars and Exploitation,” she said workers will continue their struggle for a peaceful and reunified Cyprus and a better world.
The declaration was also read in Turkish by Semih Kolozali, leader of Turkish Cypriot union Dev-İş union. Charalambous said PEO’s May Day programme on Friday includes a gathering at Eleftheria Square at 5pm, with addresses by herself and the Akel secretary-general, followed by a march to the Ledra Palace in the buffer zone where participants will join Turkish Cypriot unions.
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