Maronite Cypriot non-voting representative in parliament Petros Nacouzi on Tuesday expressed “particular satisfaction” that President Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman had a day prior agreed to restore a number of Maronite churches which have been abandoned since 1974.

He offered a “special thanks” to United Nations envoy Maria Angela Holguin “for her decisive contribution to this endeavour”.

“We hope that this positive step will be accompanied by meaningful facilitation of access to, and visitation of our churches and villages, most notably Ayia Marina and Asomatos. For it is not enough to restore our churches. We must also be able to visit them, hold religious services within them and keep them alive,” he said.

UN peacekeeping force in Cyprus (Unficyp) spokesman Aleem Siddique had announced at the end of Monday’s leaders’ meeting that the bicommunal technical committee on cultural heritage will move to restore “specific Maronite churches” and “an Armenian monastery”.

Nacouzi had met Holguin earlier during her visit to the island, and said after his meeting that for his community, “the resolution of the Cyprus problem is directly linked to the return to our villages”, the majority of which they fled after 1974.

Additionally, he said his community links a solution to the Cyprus problem to “the protection of our cultural and religious heritage and the ability of younger generations to maintain a living connection with their roots”.

“The voice of the Maronites must be heard, and our needs and rights must be substantively taken into account in any effort regarding the future of Cyprus,” he said.

He added that “at the same time, it remains essential to promote practical measures which improve daily life in the four Maronite villages and support our residents and displaced persons”.

“We are continuing with consistency, realism and persistence, working towards a peaceful Cyprus which offers security and prospects for all,” he said.