On January 18, the Municipal Council of Paphos in Cyprus renamed the Talaat Pasha Street into Tikeosinis (Justice) Street after examining requests from its Armenian and Pontic Greek communities.
The Municipal Council of Paphos, reaffirming its respect for the place names and names of the city as a result of coexistence with the Turkish Cypriot Community in the Republic of Cyprus in 1960, could not but consider this issue, in the light of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide. Through the study of historical facts, the leading role of Talaat Pasha in the planning and execution of these Genocides is documented.
The Council, aware of the weight of its responsibility towards the present and future generations, unanimously decided to remove the name of Talaat Pasha from the name of the city and by a majority decided to rename the street Tikeosinis (Justice), thus wanting to sends a strong message to the local community and the international community that people who committed genocide have no place in the bright pages of history.
The Armenian National Committee of Cyprus expressed its gratitude to the Mayor of Paphos, Mr. Feton Fetonos, and its council of elders, who, responding to the request of our community, quickly changed the name of the existing Talat Pasha Street in the city, renaming it Tikeosinis (Justice).
Our Commission, for the first time, considered the issue of changing the street during its July 14, 2020 session, where it considered it humiliating that the name of the executioner who organized the Armenian Genocide was honored.
Moreover, on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the Cypriot Parliament ratified a bill criminalizing the denial of the Genocide. This decision brought the circumstance of honoring the Turkish genocide to the legal platform.
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