Northern Cypriot Greek Orthodox Church Preserved

A ceremony commemorating the event was held last night and was observed by EU and UN delegates, Greek-Cypriot refugees, and other global representatives. The preservation project began last January and finalized in July, with an approximated cost of 130,000 euros, as reported by Parikiaki.

The EU fully funded the project under the second stage of, "Support to cultural heritage monuments of great importance for Cyprus," under the United Nations Development Programme Partnership for Peace (UNDP-PFF).

Technical Committee Greek-Cypriot President Takis Hadjidemetriou commented that "we would have been talking not of a monument but of a ruin" if the Committee hadn't intervened when it did. The Greek-Cypriot delegate stated of the Committee's function, "all its members, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike, agreed on the urgency of the project and included it in the Committee's priorities."

Technical Committee Turkish-Cypriot President Ali Tuncay confirmed his happiness regarding the Church's developments, "After six years of intense discussions and work we are reaping the fruits of our efforts...The most important achievement of the Committee is the establishment of trust among its members...it is only by accepting and respecting the existence, the values and the cultural heritage of each other, that both Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots can benefit and progress in a peaceful environment."

(Source: Parikiaki)