At this moment the invasion and attacks by Russian forces on the fronts of Ukraine are raging, at a heavy price for the Ukrainian people, the pages of our history recall the nightmare of Turkish atrocities, said Minister of Interior Nikos Nouris, speaking at the annual memorial service of the fighters of EOKA 1955-59 of the community of Chloraka, and George Azina, held at the Holy Church of Panagia Chrysohematousis in Chloraka, presided over by the Archimandrite of the Holy Metropolis of Paphos, Archimandrite Tychiko Vryoni.
Mr. Nouris said that Cyprus as a country under occupation, which for almost 48 years continues to experience the consequences of the Turkish invasion, cannot but condemn unequivocally the Russian invasion which is contrary to every principle of law. This barbaric act of war, he said, violates every notion of democracy, sovereignty and the territorial integrity of Ukraine. He added that the government and our people as a whole express their full support and solidarity with the suffering Ukrainian people.
Ukrainians today are fighting for exactly the same cause that our heroes fought for in 55-59, opposing the then powerful British Empire.
The Interior Minister said that the struggle may not have led to the achievement of the basic goal, which was self-determination and union with Greece, but it did bring an end to colonialism and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
It preserved our values and ideals, our national and cultural identity, preserved our dignity, but above all the free air that we still breathe today.
The spirit, ethos and virtue of the fighters remain alive in history, he said, inspiring and guiding us. But at the same time, the struggles and sacrifices of our heroes weigh on us and guide us.
He also pointed out that today is not only a day of honour and remembrance. It is also a day of reflection.
"It is a day of reflection to consider our own debt to our martyred homeland and to all those who sacrificed to throw off the British colonial yoke." Our people, he continued, "for almost 48 long years have borne an unbearable cross of martyrdom with patience, courage and restraint. And our homeland is still shadowed by the weight of the Turkish occupation" noting that "the best way to preserve the memory of the struggle of the E.O.K.A., The best way to honour the contribution of the fighters of 1955-59 is to preserve the future of Cypriot Hellenism in the land of our ancestors."
We must, he noted, achieve the goals of the struggle to find a just, viable and functional solution to our national problem. Nouris said that the President of the Republic, despite Turkey's piracy provocations and its attempt to create illegal fait accompli, continues to strive for the return to the talks and in this effort he does not hesitate to submit proposals for confidence-building measures (CBMs) that aim to create a climate of trust between the two sides on the one hand and to better prepare the ground for the resumption of the negotiation process on the basis of the agreed form of solution on the other.
At the same time, the positions of the Turkish Cypriot side, which defiantly and through various methods demand a two-state solution, are unacceptable, he said, and condemnable, as are the unilateral, illegal actions on the ground and at sea, which are contrary to international law and Security Council resolutions.
Mr. Nouris said that today we also commemorate all the fighters who died in peace, worthy children of Chloraka, who contributed in their own way to the glorious struggle of EOKA of 55-59. We remember, as he said, the pure pioneers of the liberation struggle, who watched invisibly in the night, waiting for the first valuable load of weapons, and the lads who welcomed the chief general of EOKA, the soldier George Grivas Digeni. He also said that the coast of Chloraka, the then remote deserted coast at the north-western tip of Cyprus, was the honoured place chosen by history to first light the flame of freedom and give the opening salvo of the armed struggle to throw off the colonial yoke.
After the end of the memorial service, wreaths were laid at the EOKA 1955-59 monument in Chloraka.
Source: KYPE
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs Cyprus Times
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or Cyprus Times
Source
