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Cyprus: Christianity

Question for Foreign and Commonwealth Office

UIN 33684, tabled on 23 March 2020

To ask the Secretary of State for Foreign and Commonwealth Affairs, what assessment he has made of the potential implications for his policies of the (a) findings and (b) recommendations in the Bishop of Truro’s Review into the Persecution of Christians Worldwide relating to the persecution of Christians in the northern part of Cyprus.

Answered on

30 March 2020

The UK is committed to defending Freedom of Religion or Belief, and promoting respect between communities of different religions and those of no religion. The British Government has accepted all the recommendations of the Bishop of Truro's review. Work is ongoing to implement the recommendations in a way that will bring real improvements to the lives of those persecuted because of their faith or belief. The UK has supported the work of the Technical Committee on Cultural Heritage in the northern part of Cyprus. This committee was created under the auspices of the United Nations and works to promote and protect the cultural heritage of the island of Cyprus. This includes preservation of religious sites in the north of Cyprus.

Answered by

Foreign and Commonwealth Office