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- Ελληνικά
"[...] Of all the good causes and worthy of the greatest praise I wish to salute those who risked their bodies for Greece [...]", the great rhetorical master Isocrates quotes in his "Panegyric", stating that those who risked their lives for the salvation of Greece offered the greatest benefits and deserve the greatest praise.
Your Eminence Metropolitan of Limassol, Respected clergy, Ladies and Gentlemen of Parliament, Mayors, Mr. Representative of the Chief of the National Guard, Mr. Representative of the Cyprus Police Force, Mr. Representative of the Mayor of Limassol, Mr. Representative of the Association of Reserve Officers of the Prefecture of Imathia, Honorable families of the fallen and missing reserve officers, With feelings of immense respect and eternal gratitude, we have come to the site of the Reserve Officers' Monument in Limassol, to celebrate the national memorial and to honour the fallen Cypriot and Greek reserve officers who fell heroically fighting during the Turkish invasion of 1974.
For as Isocrates teaches us, those who took to the front line of battle, raising their arms as a shield to defend the territorial integrity of our homeland, deserve every praise.
Today, therefore, we pay due tribute to those who, armed with their pure patriotism, fought with vigour and determination in the most critical moments of modern Cypriot history.
To those who, in the whirlwind of war, guided by their proverbial faith, perseverance, patience and self-denial, rose to the occasion and walked proudly and bravely on the difficult road of defending justice and freedom of Cyprus. Together with the honoured families and relatives of the heroically fallen reserve officers, together with those who were deprived of the youth of their own people, together with those who experienced the loss of their comrades-in-arms and felt their last breath, we too declare our presence here today, reverently bowing our heads to the heroic figures of those who sacrificed themselves on the altar of duty and service to the homeland.
Ladies and gentlemen,
With pain and heartbreak, the collective memory returns today back to the 60s and 70s. We return to the painful period of the intra-Cypriot conflicts of 1963-64 between the two communities, and the ten bitter years that followed, during which the internal turmoil shook the very existence of the newly established Republic of Cyprus.
The treacherous coup of 15 July 1974 opened wide the back door, offering the opportunity that Turkey had been seeking for years, a few days later, to put its lawless design into practice.
The Turkish invasion that followed was the culmination of the atrocious crime aimed at the division of Cyprus and the dissolution of the Cypriot state.
The brutality of the Turkish troops spread indiscriminate devastation and death. Atrocious killings of civilians and young children. Atrocious rapes of women. Violent displacement of the Greek Cypriot population from their homes and properties. Destruction of any evidence that proved the Greek identity of the occupied areas.
Today, reflecting on those tragic moments, we pay due respect to the 133 heroically fallen reserve officers.
Their names, adorned with glory and heroism, are included in the pages of Cypriot history.
Their names, adorned with glory and heroism, are included in the pages of Cypriot history.
Today, reflecting on those tragic moments, we pay due respect to the 133 heroically fallen reserve officers.
Their names, adorned with glory and heroism, are included in the pages of Cypriot history.
We also pray for the discovery of the fate of our missing persons, and we denounce, once again, the unacceptable separation of our homeland, proclaiming with vigour our inexhaustible will for the lifting of the Turkish occupation, the reunification of Cyprus and the return to our homeland.
For forty-nine years our people, with the unquenchable and unfulfilled desire for liberation and return indelibly engraved in their souls, have been waiting for the redemption of our homeland.
We declare our firm and unwavering intention to remain faithful to our goal, until the holy day of the lifting of the finality of the Turkish invasion.
This is what the sacrifice of the heroes we commemorate today suggests to us. This is what is submitted to us by the disobedient souls of the fallen reserve officers. Of the glorious Infantrymen and Commando soldiers, who with daring and bravery weighed their boots with history and defended to the end the freedom of the homeland. The black-skinned Armourers and Gunners, who showed everyone that honour and glory are gained through determination and self-sacrifice. The heroic scavengers of the Engineers and the Transversaries, who defied danger, under adverse conditions and with meagre means to accomplish their duty and mission.
This is also what the sacrifice of the brave fighters of the Greek Force of Cyprus and the 1st Commando Squadron shows us.
The Greek brothers, who, having a deep knowledge of what "is Greek", as the "father of history" Herodotus suggests, demonstrated unparalleled courage and paid a heavy toll of blood, adorning the pantheon of the nation's heroes with their unstoppable fighting spirit.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The commemoration of our heroes, apart from being a sign of our sincere appreciation and immense respect for the greatness of their sacrifice, underlines the heavy responsibility we have towards our heroes, our history and our traditions, and at the same time steel our will to continue our struggle until the final vindication.
This is the sacred legacy we have received and this is our unfulfilled debt to our heroes.
To fight, tirelessly to protect what is in danger and to claim what belongs to us.
This is the unpaid debt we carry towards our history, towards our children and future generations.
Today we renew our pledge that united, we will continue with determination to achieve our national goal of ending the occupation, liberation and reunification of Cyprus.
May the memory of the fallen Reserve Officers and all those who offered their lives to the struggles of the Cypriot people be eternal.
May the Patron Saint of Reserve Officers, Saint Nikitas the Great Martyr, whose memory we commemorate today, answer our prayers and help to determine the fate of all our missing persons. Thank you.
(IS)
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