Peter Droussiotis, President of the National Federation of Cypriots in the United Kingdom, has recently held a series of meetings with British parliamentary friends of Cyprus from all three of the main parties.
These included separate meetings with Theresa Villiers, Conservative MP for Chipping Barnet and Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, Sir Gerald Kaufman Labour MP for Manchester Gorton, Chris Bryant Labour MP for the Rhondda Valley and Shadow Home Office Minister and Liberal Democrat MP for Cambridge Julian Huppert. During the meeting with the latter, Mr Droussiotis was also introduced to Martin Horwood MP for Cheltenham and also Chair of the Liberal Democrat parliamentary committee on international affairs.
The meetings were held in the context of the Federation President’s regular one-to-one contacts with parliamentary friends of Cyprus and the British Cypriot community from all of the main parties.
Mr Droussiotis said: “Part of my role as President of the Federation is to reach out to a wide range of parliamentary friends across party lines in order to maintain a regular dialogue on ideas and initiatives which might benefit our struggle for a free and united Cyprus, especially now when talks are taking place between the two sides with a view to a comprehensive settlement on the island. I was delighted with the warmth and support of the MPs I met and their willingness to engage with us on this issue which is of central importance to the UK Cypriot community.
“This is a hard struggle made even more difficult forty years after Turkey’s invasion and occupation of Cyprus’s northern part but our commitment to the cause of reunited island will not waver. We need to work consistently, utilising all our extensive network of political contacts, in order to maintain, diversify and broaden the range of supporters we have in the British Parliament.”