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Ραδιοφωνικο ιδρυμα Κυπρου

Ελληνικη Ραδιοφωνια τηλεοραση

Editorial

Taking a trip back to your country and town of birth which you left many years ago to migrate to another country, could be quite an emotional experience. Feelings could get more intense if you are a refugee who has been forcibly removed from your house and village by a foreign invader.

Having just got back from Cyprus after a private trip, I admit that I had such an experience, when I visited my parents' house in Lapithos, a town on the northern coast, which has been occupied by Turkish troops since 1974.

However, a trip back to your birthplace can also be rejuvenating because it gives you the opportunity to re-unite with old friends and relatives and visit the country's beautiful sites. In my case, it provided also an opportunity to take a closer and more accurate look at the current political developments. When I realized that there were some issues in the behavior of several ignorant young locals towards asylum seekers and migrants seeking work in Cyprus, I took the initiative to go public on Greek Cypriot media and talk on my experiences as a Cypriot migrant living in another country.

Thirty-six years after the tragic events of 1974, my support towards a re-united Cyprus has grown even stronger. Just like here in Australia, Greeks, Turks, Armenians, Maronites, Latinos and other cultural groups can find peace and happiness living together in a re-united, bi-zonal, bi-communal, federal, multicultural Cyprus.

Peter Ppiros

The Cyprus
 News Agency


Lapithos