The 188th member of the International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC) is Cyprus, after being admitted officially as a National Society.
The Deputy Vice President of the Cyprus Red Cross, Leda Koursoumela, said that “it was a long process and really upsetting for us. Although we were officially accepted in February 2012 and last Tuesday we were finally admitted.” After Cyprus was accepted into the European Union she and the members of the Cyprus Red Cross decided to start the negotiations again.
According to Ms. Koursoumbela, the serious political problems which torture the island are the main reason that the officials have turned down their application many times. “We cater for all Cypriots–to everybody on the island,” she says, pointing out that her fellow vice president is Turkish Cypriot. Also, she told journalists that the society of the Cyprus Red Cross was “shocked” by the inclusion og the IFRC and that “it was well deserved by our National Society.”
Furthermore, the Cyprus Red Cross also takes part in international appeals such as the Greek earthquakes and the tsunami in Sri Lanka. Fotini Papadopoulou, who is the President of the Cyprus Red Cross stated that “the generous support of our volunteers has enabled Cyprus Red Cross to carry out a diverse range of humanitarian actions over the years.”
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