Nicosia, October 23, 2013
St. Andrew's Monastery
On October 16, Bishop Christopher of Karpasia, who for over 18 months had been refused permission to visit the northern part of Cyprus by the Turkish authorities, managed to visit St. Andrew's Monastery in the Karpass Peninsula in north-eastern Cyprus.
Two days later, on October 18, the Grand Mufti of Cyprus, Talip Atalay, crossed the "Green Line", dividing the island, and visited the Hala Sultan Mosque near Larnaca for the first time.
Mutual visits of an Orthodox Hierarch and a Turkish Muslim Mufti became possible owing to an agreement, reached at the initiative of Archbishop Chrysostomos II of Cyprus, who had personally petitioned the government of the republic of Cyprus for Mufti Atalay, reports the website of the "United Nations human rights" organization.
