5
Foreword
According to the Constitution of the Republic of Cyprus, the Armenians, the Latins and the Maronites of Cyprus
are recognized as “religious groups”. In a 1960 referendum, the three religious groups were asked to choose to
belong to either the Greek Cypriot or the Turkish Cypriot community. They opted to belong to the Greek Cypriot
community. The members of all three groups, therefore, enjoy the same privileges, rights and benefits as the
members of the Greek Cypriot community, including voting rights, eligibility for public office and election to official
government and state positions, at all levels. Moreover, the Armenians, Latins and Maronites, who vote in the
Parliamentary Εlections as part of the Greek Cypriot community, elect also one Representative each from their
ranks to the Cyprus House of Representatives. These non-voting Representatives attend meetings, but do not
participate in the House deliberations. Nevertheless, they are consulted on legislative issues of particular interest
to their respective group.
The series of publications “Cyprus Religious Groups” is intended as a basic overview, an introductory profile on
the Armenians, the Latins and the Maronites of Cyprus. These short publications are by no means exhaustive on
the subject and do not deal with differences of opinion and interpretation that may exist among scholars and
other experts, on issues related to the three groups.
This publication series, initiated by the Press and Information Office, has been undertaken with the close
cooperation of the Representatives of the three religious groups in the House of Representatives, and their
significant contribution is deeply appreciated. They kindly undertook the preparation of the text and also
provided the photographic material. They, therefore, deserve the credit and are also responsible for the
content. The Press and Information Office undertook the overall coordination and production of the publications,
including editing, designing and printing. It is our hope that this series will stimulate more public and scholarly
interest about the Armenian, the Latin and the Maronite religious groups of Cyprus.
Acting Director
Press and Information Office
