UNFICYP facilitates Turkish Cypriot visit to Hala Sultan Tekke

Larnaca, Cyprus. Eighty Turkish Cypriots visited the Hala Sultan Tekke mosque in Larnaca on Wednesday, in a visit facilitated by the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP).

UNFICYP spokesperson Siddique Aleem said the long-standing aim of such visits is to allow people to connect with their faith and heritage while helping to overcome division on the island.

Trust-building through religious access

Asked whether access to religious sites constitutes a confidence-building measure, Aleem said this has always formed part of UNFICYP’s mission.

“The reason we facilitate these visits is to help build trust between communities and overcome division,” he said.

Connecting communities and heritage

UNFICYP head of political affairs Munehiko Harada said facilitating access to religious sites is a vital part of the force’s work to build trust and strengthen relations between communities.

He said coordinating religious ceremonies and visits creates space for people from both communities to connect with their heritage and with each other.

“When we coordinate a religious ceremony or help organise a visit, like today’s to Hala Sultan Tekke, we do more than facilitate a passage,” Harada said. “We help bridge a divide that has kept communities apart for decades.”