Cleanup held on both sides of divided capital in Nicosia — Cyprus Mail
In Nicosia, Cyprus, dozens of people joined a bicommunal cleanup campaign in the Old City and its surrounding areas. Volunteers collected rubbish on both sides of the island’s divided capital.
Campaign for World Cleanup Day
The event for World Cleanup Day was organized by the environmental non-governmental organization Let’s Do It! Cyprus with the support of the Green Action Movement. As Cyprus Mail reports, Let’s Do It! Cyprus thanked the two mayors of Nicosia, Charalambos Prountzos and Mehmet Harmanci, for their support.
Thanks were also extended to Ireland’s ambassador to Nicosia, Sarah Hamilton. The High Commission of India in Nicosia provided all participants with free T-shirts dedicated to Mahatma Gandhi, an Indian figure in the anti-colonial liberation movement.
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Mayors’ statements
Prountzos called the cleanup an important initiative that sends a positive signal about society’s need to bring about the desired changes. According to him, people’s participation, community mobilization, and contributions to such universal causes as cleanliness and environmental protection help achieve these changes.
The mayor also emphasized the importance of the campaign’s bicommunal nature and said he was pleased to take part in it together with Harmanci. For his part, Harmanci said he wants to encourage civil society to unite for the city, as the sides share common environmental problems.
According to Harmanci, pollution on one side of the city affects the other. He called for caring for Nicosia’s environment together, cooperating, and gaining a better understanding of one another.
