The contribution of the Turkish occupied schools of Cyprus to education, tradition and the cultivation of national identity was highlighted on Friday by the Minister of Education, Sports and Youth, Athena Michaelidou, who assured at the same time that the State will stand by the students who are currently studying at the Rizokarpaso school. Michaelidou addressed a conference on: "I know, I do not forget, I claim: Our Occupied Schools. Bright marches in time" which was held in a hall of POED, in Aglantzia and was under her auspices. There were also addresses by the Archbishop of Cyprus, Georgios which was delivered on is behalf by Bishop Porphyrios of Neapolis and Deputy Minister of Culture, Vasiliki Kassianidou. In her address, Michaelidou said that the conference is a tribute to memory and honour to the multi-dimensional contribution of the schools which are today in the Turkish occupied territories. "The contribution of our occupied schools to education, tradition and the culture of our country is invalu able," the Minister said, adding that they were a cradle of knowledge, while they contributed in various ways to the history of the island and the cultivation of a national identity. Michaelidou stressed that education should be an inalienable right of all children, adding that "our enclaved students continue to inspire us with their courage, patience and perseverance to guard Thermopylae on the edge of Cyprus. We assure them as a State that we will stand by them." She added that memory and knowledge are a valuable guarantee for facing the challenges, but also an antidote to the moral and values crisis of our time, noting that "it is our duty as the Ministry of Education, Sports and Youth, to continue dynamically cultivating our goal of 'I do not forget', I struggle, I claim". On her part, speaking about the role of the Deputy Ministry of Culture in preserving the memory of Turkish occupied Cyprus, Kassianidou said that "we study and record the monuments and findings from the occupied territories and prote ct them with all the means at our disposal." At the same time, she continued, "we closely monitor auctions and sales of antiquities and identify and repatriate objects stolen from churches, museums and archaeological sites in our occupied territories." She pointed out that through culture "we can find common ground and ways of cooperation with the Turkish Cypriots and work for the solution", noting that "culture and love for our country can become the bridge that will unite us". In his address, the Archbishop of Cyprus said that "we must keep the torch of asserting our rights lit in these critical times and pass on to the hearts of the young the light, principles and values of our ancestors." He pointed out that teachers have a key responsibility in this direction, adding that "the Church is always your companion". Cyprus has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotia tions, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. Guterres last January appointed Holguin as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue. Source: Cyprus News Agency
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