President Ersin Tatar on Sunday strongly condemned the arson attack on the Grand Mosque in Larnaca.
Unknown arsonists tried to burn the mosque on Thursday, December 2 by throwing Molotov cocktails at the entrance but the fire was put out by fire fighters before serious damage could be done.
One suspect was reported to have been arrested in connection with the incident.
In a statement condemning the attack, President Ersin Tatar called on the Greek Cypriot administration to prevent such attacks and arrest those responsible at the earliest.
He also called on the Greek Cypriot administration to stop supporting those who carry out such racist and fascist attacks as well as to respect places of worship and faith.
Pointing out that the Greek Cypriot administration continued with its provocations and actions aimed at raising tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean, Tatar said that the growing number of attacks against mosques was no coincidence.
He reminded that a similar attack had been carried out at the Köprülü Hacı Ağa Mosque in Limassol in June, 2020 and that numerous attacks had been carried out on mosques located in South Cyprus prior to the five-plus-one informal meeting held in Geneva in April this year.
Tatar also said that racist slogans and graffiti had been sprayed on the walls of the mosque in Yalova in Limassol District on the 200th anniversary of the Greek uprising.
“It is interesting to note that none of those responsible for these attacks have been caught or brought to justice. The latest attack once again demonstrates that the mentality of the Greek Cypriot side has not changed,” he said.