An April 14 2010 conference saw a number of calls by Christian leaders for protection of holy sites in the Turkish-occupied section of Cyprus.

The Conference of European Churches (CEC) seminar was opened by the Archbishop of Cyprus Chrysostomos II, who called on the European Union "to support our demand strongly and powerfully and to work systematically and effectively in order to restore and ensure respect for religious freedoms in the occupied part of our island; to put an end to the looting and plundering of our sacred sites and monuments and to protect our religious sites". 
 
Two programmes concerning the restoration of cultural and religious monuments have already been completed within the occupied part of Cyprus, the Agios Nikolaos Church (Bedestan) and Emerke Hamam.

There is also another programme currently running which consists of a fund of 800 000 euro for the architectural documentation of religious monuments.

The CEC said that speakers and participants in the seminar called on EU institutions, especially the Commissioner for Enlargement and the Commissioner for Culture and Education as well as the Committee for Culture and Education in the European Parliament, to "enhance and increase" their engagements with a view to saving the religious and other cultural heritage that runs the risk of absolute destruction.

"We also call for the respect of religious freedom and human rights in the occupied part of Cyprus for all religious denominations. We consider it our duty, within a civilised society, to respect, protect and save the religious and cultural heritage of the occupied part of Cyprus which constitutes, in fact, a civilisation belonging to the EU and the international community," a CEC media statement said.

Cyprus is an EU member but part of the island has been occupied since a 1974 Turkish invasion, and operates as a "Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus", an entity recognised solely by Ankara. Negotiations, under the auspices of the United Nations, on the future of the island, have been proceeding.