The Turkish Cypriot Mufti says precious Greek Orthodox icons dumped in a castle for 44 years should be returned to the Church of Cyprus.
“The icons in Kyrenia Castle belong to the Greek Orthodox Church of Cyprus and we will support their return,” said Mufti Talip Atalay.
Bishop Porfyrios of Neapolis, head of the Synodical Committee on Monuments and Religious Artefacts of the Church of Cyprus, is concerned about the condition of those icons.
“We deeply regret to learn from the results of the investigation published by the Turkish Cypriot paper Havadis that our priceless religious heirlooms have been kept under improper and insecure conditions in the warehouses of the Castle," said Bishop Porfyrios.
Mufti Talip Atalay said that their “proper storage, maintenance and protection are not only a must but a duty. Religious beliefs and religious places of everyone should be protected irrespective of where they are.”
“Just like we expect the assets that belong to the Muftiate/Evqaf to be properly maintained, protected and preserved by the Greek Cypriot authorities, Turkish Cypriot authorities should do the same to the assets of the Christians of Cyprus, “he said.
Atalay added: “We should all preserve our religious and cultural heritage in the most proper way without ignoring the needs and sensitivities of the rightful owners.”
“Respecting, safeguarding and preserving cultural property is an obligation outlined clearly in international humanitarian law,” said Salpy Eskidjian, Executive Director of Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process (RTCYPP).
The Religious Leaders of Cyprus had agreed to create a mutually accepted joint committee to undertake an inventory of all stored religious heirlooms of Cyprus as a concrete confidence building measure.
“This proposal was one of the first items discussed within the RTCYPP seven years ago,” added Eskidjian, “unfortunately their joint agreement never materialised but has remained alive on the table of dialogue."
The Bicommunal Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage will discuss Thursday the issue of Greek Orthodox icons and other religious artefacts, which have been kept in Kyrenia Castle since the 1974 Turkish invasion.
With the encouragement and help of the Turkish army, the trade in illicit antiquities has brought great profit to those involved, and Cypriot treasures already adorn private collections in a number of countries including Turkey, Russia, Switzerland, Holland and the UK, and even as far as the US, Australia and Japan.
More than 500 churches situated in the Turkish-held north have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. organisations.
