The Religious Leaders of Cyprus came together for a thanksgiving reception in honour of special friends of the Religious Track of the Cyprus Peace Process under the Auspices of the Embassy of Sweden (RTCYPP) who are scheduled to leave Cyprus this summer; Special Representative of the UN Secretary-General and Chief of Mission Lisa M. Buttenheim, H.E. the Ambassador of Finland Anu Saarela, UNFICYP Force Commander Major General Kristin Lund, and H.E. the Ambassador of Sweden Klas Gierow attended the reception.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe are here to celebrate, to acknowledge, to recognize, to give thanks, to pledge. Despite setbacks or disappointments, we have hope. Dialogue and cooperation in Cyprus will persevere as the religious leaders know too well that a united witness for peace, a united voice for human rights is better than the success or failure of one alone\u201d said Salpy Eskidjian, the Executive Coordinator of the Office of RTCYPP, who hosted the event on May 31, 2016 in the Buffer Zone in Nicosia. \u201cReligion can be used to divide people, here thanks to the Religious Track, it is used to unite\u201d said Mr. Espen Barth Eide in his address. \u201cThe religious leaders bringing the faith of communities together inspire the political leaders.\u201d He praised the religious track as \u201ctruly inspiring\u201d and he called on all Cypriots \u201cto take a leap of faith for peace.\u201d<\/p>\n
Mufti of Cyprus, H.E. Dr. Atalay in thanking the honoured guests for all their support and good work for peace in Cyprus, expressed his sadness for their departure. He reiterated that as religious leaders\u2019 \u201cFrom the beginning we have been very supportive of free access to places of worship. In principle this is part of our religion, religious monuments should always be respected. We all support religious freedom. Our job is not to do politics but to create and build hope in the hearts of people so that our hearts, tongues and actions would be identical\u201d.<\/p>\n
All the religious leaders warmly thanked the Swedish government and the four guests of honour for their tireless efforts for Cyprus and their support to the Religious Track.<\/p>\n
In the closing message, H.E Archbishop Y. Souief of the Maronite Church expressed his commitment that the religious leaders of Cyprus continue to work together \u201cto build a culture of justice, a culture of peace, a culture of reconciliation, a culture of love not only in Cyprus but also in the region and become a beacon of hope everywhere.\u201d The guests of honour gave heartening messages of support and encouragement, reiterating that the efforts of the religious track give them hope as they leave the island. They all expressed their wish that the religious leaders continue their peace building efforts and strive together for a reunited Cyprus where all Cypriots can live together in peace and the rights of all are respected.<\/p>\n
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