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It is with great pleasure that I welcome and place under my auspices the 12th Scientific-Laographical Conference on "Acanthian traces and works through time". A Conference which is a valuable repository of the culture of the region of Akanthios.
Culture is undoubtedly the mirror of our identity and a witness of the history of our land. At a time when the Turkish occupation has indulged in systematic destruction of the cultural heritage of the areas under its military control, preventing the Republic of Cyprus from preserving and protecting archaeological sites, monuments and cultural treasures, events like today's give a sign of hope.
It is in this spirit that, as the Deputy Ministry of Culture, we stand by and support the work you are doing, both in strengthening ties with the homeland and in keeping alive the memory of our heritage, customs and traditions, highlighting the "traces" and "works" of the wealth of our occupied Acanthios.
Our beloved small town, spread out at the foot of the Pentadaktylus, has "reinterpreted" and brought forth great intellectual and artistic creators. With its rich history and tradition, it is a real treasure trove of folklore and historical events, as well as elements that are imbued with the values of the Greek culture of our land. And that is why it is important that we see you Acanthians, even in the refugee period, continuing to pursue the study and research of the history and culture of your land, keeping alive your cultural and historical identity, the contact with your place of origin.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We are almost half a century since the Turkish invasion. 49 years of waiting for the longed-for return, through the achievement of a just, viable and workable solution to the Cyprus problem, without the presence of occupying troops. A solution which on the one hand will restore human rights and basic freedoms and on the other hand will create conditions of peace, perspective and prosperity for all legitimate inhabitants of Cyprus.
One of the most important aspects of the Cyprus problem, which emerged after the Turkish invasion of 1974, is the systematic seizure and trafficking of cultural heritage in our occupied areas and the efforts made for its preservation and restoration.
On the occasion of my presence here, I would like to mention that the Department of Antiquities of our Ministry of State is working systematically to protect and preserve our religious and cultural heritage through the United Nations. And this, of course, within its capabilities, in an uncontrolled situation, due to the ongoing occupation, which does not allow for the exercise of effective control in the areas occupied by Turkey. The Department of Antiquities continues almost daily to declare ancient monuments in the occupied territories, something it did not stop doing even after the Turkish invasion of 1974. Worth mentioning is the very important work of the Bicommunal Technical Committee for Cultural Heritage, which has preserved dozens of occupied monuments, protecting them from certain destruction.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I feel obliged to thank, both personally and on behalf of the Government and the President of the Republic himself, the Organizing Committee of the Conference, all the organized groups of Acanthians, as well as the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Kyros for today's organization.
Special thanks to the Mayor, dear Eleni Hadjimichael, and the members of the Municipal Council, who continue to maintain unbreakable ties with the land of their birth, preserving the messages of claiming the right of return. Congratulations also for all the initiatives, which are now well established in the consciousness of the Acanthians. Initiatives that are important after 49 years of occupation, as they preserve the emotional relations between people, the social cohesion and the bonds of the inhabitants of our occupied territories, who since 1974 have been forced to disperse away from their homeland.
In closing the proceedings of the Conference, I welcome all the distinguished speakers and wish them every success. I close with the wish that the next conference will be in our beloved town of Akanthou.
(EFYs/MB)
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