The role of young people in efforts to restart negotiations on the Cyprus issue was called attention to on Saturday by Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou, who said the new generation would be decisive in supporting reunification efforts.

Speaking at an event organised by the Famagusta municipality-in-exile for the creation of the organisation’s youth movement, Ioannou said Famagusta remained “a national symbol of culture and creation”.

He described the establishment of the youth branch as “an extremely important development”, adding that it gives “voice to the new generation of displaced persons, who may not have experienced the events of 1974, but who nevertheless experience them through the memories, narratives and experiences of their families”.

“The active participation of young people ensures that the struggle for return, reunification and vindication will continue until the liberation of our homeland and the restoration of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of our people,” he said.

Ioannou stated that the current period was marked by efforts to resume talks aimed at creating conditions for “substantial progress towards a comprehensive and sustainable solution”, based on United Nations resolutions and the agreed framework for negotiations.

“The government remains committed to the effort to resume a substantive dialogue, which will lead to a solution that will reunite the homeland and the people of Cyprus,” he said.

He added that any settlement must safeguard “the human rights of all legal residents of Cyprus” and allow displaced persons “to return safely to their ancestral homes”.

The minister said younger generations could serve as “a bridge of memory, but also of hope”, helping to preserve “the demand for return” while promoting “a culture of peace, cooperation and reunification”.

He also said the state supports initiatives that strengthen youth participation in public life and democratic engagement.

“The presence and mobilisation of the youth is a prerequisite for a society with continuity, resilience and perspective,” Ioannou said.