Cypriot WW II veterans to demand pension from Britain

Cypriot veterans, World War II volunteers, who held a gathering on Tuesday to mark the 62nd anniversary of the antifascist victory of the Allied forces in 1945, said they intended to ask for a pension from the British government for their contribution to the war effort.

Speaking at the event in Nicosia, President of the Pancyprian Association of World War II Combatants Loizos Demetriou said veterans in many countries enjoy various benefits for their contribution and that the Cypriot volunteers ”are still waiting for recognition of their efforts.”

He thanked President of the Republic Tassos Papadopoulos for a Council of Ministers decision to grant a special pension to the volunteers still alive, noting that many of them live below the poverty line and ”it is our intention to demand a pension for the volunteers from the British government.”

Addressing the event, President Papadopoulos said the Cypriot people are still struggling for the reunification of Cyprus and justice for all legitimate inhabitants of the island, on the basis of human rights, the same rights for which the allied forces fought during World War II.

He added that the Council of Ministers’ decision to grant an honorary pension to World War II veterans was ”the least gesture of appreciation for their struggles and contribution.”

On behalf of the Committee for the Formation of a Register of Cypriot Volunteers, Ozdemir Ozgur said around 30,000 Cypriot volunteers enlisted during World War II, and 10,000 of them were abroad.

Speaking on behalf of the Turkish Cypriot veterans, Huseyin Gultekin said the war left behind many painful memories and expressed sorrow over the continuing bloodshed in the Middle East.

Cyprus was a British colony during World War II and the volunteers joined the British army.

The island gained its independence from British colonial rule in 1960 and has been divided since 1974, when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third.