Nicosia, Cyprus. Restoration works are under way at 70 cemeteries across Cyprus, with the aim of helping build trust between the island’s two communities, bicommunal technical committee for cultural heritage co-chairman Sotos Ktoris said on Monday.
He said the work includes repairing cemetery walls, removing weeds and restoring monuments with the active involvement of local communities.
Preserving cemeteries
In a Facebook post, Ktoris said cemeteries had also been affected by fanaticism, vandalism and the passage of time.
“Today we are attempting to reverse this course,” he said.
Respect and trust
Ktoris said the restoration work was primarily an act of respect for the memory and dignity of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, while also helping restore the identity and historical character of the cemeteries.
He said respect for the dead would not resolve the Cyprus problem, but described it as an essential condition for building the trust needed for a shared future based on mutual respect and peaceful coexistence.