Sputnik: Do you think that Anastasiades is a good candidate for presidency in Cyprus?
Sollomon Sakkas: No! He is not the type of person I would have voted for. He has allowed all the settlers to stay in Cyprus. He has allowed them to have the first say on our properties in the North. He has given permission to Turkish soldiers to stay in Cyprus. This is against our principles… He should have demanded reiterations for our tragedy in Cyprus.
Instead he has given the rights to the Turkish invaders and settlers of our country. We left everything behind. And now they have the first say to our properties, so I don’t like this president.
Sputnik: Do you have hope that Cyprus could return to a peaceful state, as it was before the Turkish troops invaded?
Sollomon Sakkas: Everyone should return to their own homes, like we were before. But the British have radicalized the Turkish Cypriots; the British have armed the Turkish Cypriots. The British have drawn the green line to separate the two communities and finally the British in 1974 helped the Turkish to invade and occupy the northern Cyprus.
READ MORE: Cyprus Incumbent President Anastasiades Wins Second Term — Interior Ministry
Were you there when the Turkish invaded Northern Cyprus in 1974?
Sollomon Sakkas: Yes I was there, in the front line. We had to leave our homes. We abandoned everything! We left with just our t-shirts. My father had a coffee house, he had several seaside places. We abandoned it all, fully furnished houses, tractors, machinery, money, everything!
The views and opinions expressed by Sollomon Sakkas are those of the analyst and do not necessarily reflect those of Sputnik.