Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot journalists have declared their willingness and readiness to work together in order to help find a solution to the long-standing Cyprus, ensuring the human rights, safety and happiness of all Cypriots in a united, common, safe, democratic and prosperous homeland.
This position is included in a joint declaration agreed upon by the Union of Cyprus Journalists based in the government-controlled areas of the Cyprus Republic, and the Trade Union of Press Workers Basin-Sen and the Union of Turkish Cypriot Journalists based in the Turkish-occupied northern part of the island.
Representatives of the three organisations met and exchanged views on the political problem and the situation in Cyprus and the role of the media, of those working in them and their trade union organizations for the creation of a climate of confidence, understanding and cooperation between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities.
It was stressed that such a climate will be very helpful in the efforts for the achievement, the soonest possible, of a viable and functional solution to the Cyprus problem and for practical ways and means for the establishment and development of cooperation among the press organizations of the island and their members on matters connected to the journalistic profession.
The three organizations agreed that rights and freedoms of all the journalists and the media and their unobstructed movement and access to the sources of information in the island should be ensured.
The representatives also agreed that Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot media organizations should do everything possible to help build confidence between the two communities.
There are several fields in which Turkish Cypriot and Greek Cypriot media organizations can cooperate in order to achieve this goal, the joint declaration said.
The representatives expressed their readiness to do their best in this direction. They decided to have a new meeting soon without any restrictions and formalities – at which they will deal with the situation affecting the everyday life of journalists as a result of obstacles to their free movement and their access to the sources of news as well as with common professional matters and problems.
In their joint declaration the G/C and T/C journalists declare their ”willingness and readiness to work together in order to help in the necessity and the efforts to open the way for a solution in the island, ensuring the human rights, safety and happiness of all Cypriots in a united, common, safe, democratic and prosperous homeland.”
At the same time they said they would work towards arranging meetings with the political leadership of the two communities to which ”we will convey the content of this joint statement”.
They also pledged to meet on a regular basis to discuss ways to achieve, among other goals, free movement of accredited and holders of Press Cards professional journalists throughout the island, covering stories, filming and taking photos for professional purposes without obstacles, common professional activities and training and joint cooperation for the implementation of global decisions of the International Federation of Journalists and the European Federation of Journalists.
Turkish troops invaded Cyprus in 1974 and occupied 37 per cent of its territory.
