London, Thanasis Gavos

The commitment how the reunification of Cyprus will be included in priorities of a British government under Labor gave officials of the UK’s current official opposition party.

The commitment was made at an event of the Cyprus Workers’ Association (Labour Cypriot Society) on Sunday evening in Liverpool, as part of the party conference which started yesterday.

Until a few days ago, the shadow Deputy Minister of Foreign Affairs, Fabian Hamilton, stated that he was disappointed that Turkey “continues to violate the resolutions of the Security Council, especially regarding Varosia”.

He commented that the Conservative government in Britain “is not acting with the true authority of a guarantor power, if that has any relevance today”.

He noted that reunification cannot be achieved until Turkey withdraws its military presence from the north and that threatened violence must also be withdrawn so that meaningful talks can begin.

Finally, he stood for the common will of all communities in Cyprus for prosperity and security. This, he said, is what a Labor government will help to achieve, while he praised members of the Cyprus Association and the party more broadly for continuing to highlight the benefits of a bi-zonal bi-communal federation solution.

He was followed by Lord Collins, who also holds a seat on Labour’s shadow foreign affairs group. He noted that the position of the entire Labor shadow foreign affairs group is that “Cyprus would be a priority for the party” as a government, with a commitment to the UN resolutions and the peace process.

The former member of the group of Labor Deputy Foreign Ministers Pambos Charalambous, the Cypriot MP for North London, said that “the Labor Party has always been committed to a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation, Labor wants to see the reunification of Cyprus. They support the UN’s efforts to achieve peace talks and what you will see from a new Labor government will be to have Cyprus as a priority, as well as helping to bring the sides together. We will be more active in this.”

The Labor Cypriot Society was revived in 2022 with the aim of mobilizing the Cypriot community in Britain in favor of the Labor Party and contributing to a solution for a united and peaceful Cyprus.