Georgetown students and faculty were honored by a visit from Ambassador H.E. Andreas Kakouris, the current Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus, on Wednesday, September 30th in McShain Lounge. The event was hosted by the Georgetown University Lecture Fund and the Hellenic Society, in collaboration with the Georgetown International Relations Club. Roughly 50 people, ranging from undergraduate students to the head of the Turkish Studies Program at Georgetown, were in attendance.

The Ambassador briefly outlined the history Cyprus, leading up to the 1974 invasion by Turkish troops, and poignantly integrated it with the current political and social situation that Cyprus faces today with Turkey’s continuing occupation. He highlighted the desire of both Greek and Turkish Cypriots to rectify the situation under favorable circumstances, although there are many barriers that must be breached before this can become a reality.

Negotiations are currently being initiated between the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the unrecognized President of the Turkish Cypriot community and the Ambassador expressed urgency for these negotiations to take place quickly, as Turkey will be considered in December for membership in the European Union. Ambassaor Kakouris also focused on the theme borrowed from Thomas Jefferson that the Cypriots need a government by the Cypriots, for the Cypriots, and he was hopeful that the island would reach a peaceful and unified solution, but that the responsibility rests on Turkey at this point to procede toward a solution.

- Rachel Farell

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