The majestic statue of Gregory Afxentios outside the Monastery overlooking the Pentadaktylus, makes us realize the debt we all owe to the wonderful generation of fighters of 55-59, who gave their lives for the fulfilment of the age-old desire for liberation from the conquerors, Defence Minister Charalambos Petrides said at the commemorative speech at the National Memorial Service of Gregory Afxentios, at the Cathedral of Apostle Barnabas, in Nicosia.
As he said, their struggle is not over. As long as our homeland remains divided, as long as the Turkish conqueror illegally occupies half of our homeland, he added, this struggle must continue until the final vindication. Until, he said, we will hold his national memorial service in his hometown of Lysi.
"And we will reverently close the wound, worshipping the greatness of his soul and sacrifice. The blue and white flag waving proudly in front of the entrance of the crypt reminds us of our national duty for the survival of Hellenism in the homeland," the Minister said.
In his speech, he referred to the life and actions of Grigori Afxentios and his heroic sacrifice, stating that "Afxentios' humble altar cave shone and reflected the desire for freedom of an entire people, the beliefs of an entire nation of thousands of years of history". He also noted that it was, among others, an inspiration for the great Greek poet Yannis Ritsos.
"To the fearless fighter who, when fate brought it, declared himself thunderously 'present', sacrificing his life without any hesitation for the freedom of his homeland. He also referred to the morality, patriotism, leadership skills and acumen of the deputy leader of EOKA, whose fame spread everywhere and was the great fear of the British.
As he said, Grigoris Afxentios, constantly moving to avoid detection and possible betrayal, carried the momentum of the struggle and the flame of freedom to the Cypriot people of the countryside.
The Defence Minister said that "we must work collectively, with all our strength, to finally end the illegal occupation and reunite our island."
The Defence Minister said that "we must work collectively, with all our forces, to finally end the illegal occupation and reunite our island."
[/P]The Defence Minister said that "we must work collectively, with all our strength, to finally end the illegal occupation and reunite our island.
He added that the achievement of a viable solution that ends the occupation and colonization and frees our country from the anachronistic system of guarantees, interventionist rights and the presence of foreign troops is a constant aspiration.
Unfortunately, he said, Turkey is an obstacle to the achievement of our goals with its intransigent and unyielding attitude, while it ignores any concept of international law and continues its illegal actions in the Exclusive Economic Zone and Famagusta, while at the same time showing its real intentions for partition.
"We remain loyal to the effort to restore our historical continuity in the land of our fathers."
"We remain loyal to the effort to restore our historical continuity in the land of our fathers. Let the lessons of the sacrifice of our heroes be the guides on this difficult path of liberation and vindication," he said.
Only in this way, he added, will we fulfill our debt to the sacrifice of the hero Gregory Afxentios.
Source: CNA
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