Pergamos meeting hopes to reunite old neighbours

(Cyprus-Mail)


Noah Haglund

       A BICOMMUNAL village reunion on July 1 hopes to bring together
friends and former neighbours, separated for decades by the
island’s division.

       The meeting is intended particularly for older generations of
Greek and Turkish Cypriots who grew up alongside each other before the
troubles in 1974 and 1963.

       The event’s coordinator in the Republic, Nicos Anastasiou,
an economics teacher at the American Academy in Larnaca, sees this
activity as “a challenge to all the good people in Cyprus who say
they are for peace, to get off their armchairs and attend.”

       Beginning at 5pm, Turkish and Greek Cypriots will meet in the
park adjacent to Pergamos village, within the Dhekelia SBA area.
“We are doing this for the good of the country, there is no hidden
political agenda,” said Anastasiou.

       We are not the ones who will solve the problem, but unless the
ordinary people have the opportunity to support peace, there can be no
meaningful solution,” he added.

       Participants will be able to meet up with past neighbours under
big signs, marked with the names of the towns and villages that once
had mixed communities.


       People of all ages are welcome to attend the reunion and bring
food for a picnic afterwards.

       Four teenage young groups joined forces to plan the activity,
inspired by the success of a meeting in March of Greek and Turkish
Cypriot teenagers, which drew in nearly 2,000 participants.

       Anastasiou stressed the importance of the initiative coming
from young people.

       He pointed out that initiatives such as these counteracted
fears from from sceptics that once the older generation died out, then
the grass roots efforts for peace would vanish.

       Anastasiou and his fellow project volunteers have prepared
tirelessly, interviewing village elders, particularly community
leaders to identify former members of mixed towns and villages, now
living in the north.

       Anastasiou and his counterpart in the north, Ulus Irkad, then
swap lists of people seeking distant friends on both sides of the
Green Line.

       Anastasiou would like to have the meeting endorsed by the Greek
and Turkish Foreign Ministers, George Papandreou and Ismail Cem. He
would also like the attendance of UN and EU officials, foreign
diplomats, the international media, as well as representatives from
the political parties.

       Anyone who comes from a mixed town or village, or who is
interested in volunteering for the project should contact event
organisers as soon as possible, on 09- 498531, by fax to 04- 530924,
or by e-mail to villagersmeeting@europe.com