Secondary school students marched through Nicosia on Friday, November 13, calling for an end to the island’s division and the resumption of negotiations aimed at reunifying Cyprus under a bizonal, bicommunal federation.
The demonstration, organised by the Pancyprian Coordinating Committee of Students (PSEM), took place ahead of the 43rd anniversary of the unilateral declaration of the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) on November 15, 1983.
Students gathered at the wholesale market in Kaimakli and marched towards the Mia Milia checkpoint, carrying Cypriot flags and chanting slogans in support of reunification and a federal solution to the Cyprus problem.
Addressing the demonstration, PSEM’s president expressed concern over the prolonged deadlock in negotiations, which have remained stalled since 2017. She warned that continued inaction was strengthening the island’s division and urged the Greek Cypriot leadership to support a renewed negotiating process in line with its previous commitments.
She said recent contacts between the two communities and the United Nations had created renewed hopes for progress, calling on both sides to return to the negotiating table with a genuine commitment to reaching a settlement.
The student organisation supports a solution based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation with political equality, a single sovereignty, international personality and citizenship, in accordance with United Nations resolutions.
PSEM also called for the restoration of the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots, the demilitarisation of the island and an end to foreign interference. Its president stressed that Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots should be able to live together peacefully without military guarantees or external intervention.
The demonstration also highlighted the impact of the 1974 events, which continue to affect thousands of Cypriots, including those who lost relatives, disappeared or were displaced. The student leadership said younger generations had a responsibility to oppose nationalism and partition and promote peaceful coexistence among the island’s different communities.
Andreas Panagides, representing the Frederick University Students’ Union, also called for a clear political strategy focused on liberation and reunification. He described the Cyprus issue as involving invasion, occupation, settlement and foreign intervention, alongside the need to normalise relations between the island’s two communities.
Panagides urged President Nikos Christodoulides and the Turkish Cypriot leadership to set aside excuses and resume substantive negotiations from the point where previous discussions had ended, preserving agreements already reached.
The student demonstration came amid renewed diplomatic activity surrounding the Cyprus issue. On November 9, Greek Cypriot leader Nikos Christodoulides and Turkish Cypriot leader Tufan Erhurman met under United Nations auspices and agreed on steps to open two additional crossing points, coordinate emergency responses and share archival materials. The agreement was viewed as a confidence-building development that could help revive the stalled peace process.
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Cyprus has remained divided since 1974, when a coup backed by Greece’s military rulers was followed by Turkey’s military intervention. The international community has continued to support a negotiated settlement based on a bizonal, bicommunal federation, although disagreements over the island’s political future have repeatedly obstructed progress.
