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It is with great pleasure and emotion that I attend with you today, on behalf of the President of the Republic Mr.Nicos Christodoulides, the anniversary event organized by the Association of Retired Officers of the Cyprus Army, on the occasion of the 60th anniversary of the establishment of the National Guard.
The President of the Republic, who was unable to attend due to other commitments, conveys his gratitude and thanks for the very honourable invitation to attend and greet today's event.
This year we are celebrating 60 years since the establishment of the National Guard. Six decades of unstinting and commendable contribution to the struggle to defend the freedom and territorial integrity of our country and to consolidate the sense of security that promotes the well-being of our citizens.
Let us not forget that security and prosperity are linked and complement each other.
Providing citizens with the highest level of security from internal and external threats creates the conditions that enable the state to provide basic services to citizens, such as health, education, housing and employment, as well as social justice and equal opportunities.
Ladies and gentlemen,
When the Republic of Cyprus formally gained independence on 16 August 1960, the biggest challenge it faced was the ability of state institutions to function under the model of the bicommunal cooperative framework.
According to Article 129 of the Cypriot Constitution, an army was to be formed, consisting of a total of 2,000 men (1,200 Greek Cypriots and 800 Turkish Cypriots).
However, due to the Turkish Cypriots' claim for the formation of the companies of the Cypriot Army with a purely communal composition, which was contrary to the Constitution's provision for mixed composition, this obligation was not implemented. The Greek Cypriot side remained firm in its position for the faithful application of the Constitution, demanding the observance of bicommunalism in any form of formation of the Cypriot Army.
The decision of the Council of Ministers to adhere to the Treaty of Alliance, i.e. the single/mixed composition, was followed by the exercise of the constitutional right of veto by Vice President Fazıl Küçük, leading the effort to a deadlock and stopping any further [EFFORT] to establish the Army as envisaged.
On 21 December 1963, groups of armed men, meanwhile being secretly trained by both sides, engaged in an armed clash on Ermou Street in Nicosia, which led to widespread clashes in all the cities. This resulted in the abandonment of the positions held by Turkish Cypriots in the civil service, their enclosure in enclaves and the de facto separation of Nicosia with the drawing of the Green Line by the United Nations.
After the conflict spread throughout the territory of the Republic of Cyprus and due to Turkey's geographical proximity and threats of invasion, a decision was made to better staff the Greek Cypriot armed forces. On 25 February 1964, the creation of the National Guard, the volunteer National Guard (E.F.) was announced by radio.
Although the volunteer National Guard responded to its duties to a satisfactory degree, certain elements, such as the voluntary conscription, and the conflicts that continued during the first months of 1964 in Limassol, Paphos, Agios Sozomenos and Pentadaktylos required better organization and compulsory recruitment.
On 13 March 1964, at a meeting of delegations of the governments of Cyprus and Greece in Athens, it was decided, among other things, to appoint General Georgios Grivas as head of the Special Joint Staff of Cyprus (S.M.M.E.K.), which had the mission to "n charge of all military matters in Cyprus". This was the first step in strengthening the defence of Cyprus and the starting point for the formation of the National Guard. At the same time, it was decided to create the Cyprus Military Command (C.M.C.), which was later renamed the General Staff of the National Guard, as well as to send a full Greek division to the island.
The simultaneous presence of three commands in the Republic of Cyprus, the General Staff, the ELDYK and the Division, created a question of who would lead and therefore the creation of the Supreme Military Defence Command of Cyprus (A.On 8 May of the same year, the then Attorney General of the Republic of Cyprus, Kriton Tornaritis, submitted a proposal for a law which provided for the establishment of military units.
In the following days, the "The National Guard Law of 1964" was submitted to the Council of Ministers, which was passed by the House of Representatives on 1 June 1964.
The law now provided for a compulsory six-month military service, which was increased to twelve months in December of the same year due to the irregular situation for those "f on or after 1 January of the year in which they completed their eighteenth year of age....".
In the first steps of the National Guard, the members of the Cypriot Army, who were seconded to the National Guard, played a decisive role. In addition, the support from Greece, both in terms of manpower and logistical infrastructure, was also very important.
During the first half of 1964, Turkey prepared the Tilliria region militarily, with the transfer of a significant number of military forces and large quantities of arms and ammunition to the Kokkina enclave.
During the first half of 1964, Turkey prepared the Tilliria region militarily, with the transfer of a significant number of military forces and large quantities of arms and ammunition to the Kokkina enclave. The culmination of its actions was the capture of the strategically important "Lorovounos" hill on 9 July 1964, which endangered the security of the entire surrounding area.
The actions of the Turks showed that they were preparing, firstly, a military invasion, then the expansion of the Kokkinia enclave and its merging with that of Lefka, and then with that of Nicosia-Kioneli.
In order to avert the risk of enlarging the enclave and thus controlling a large geographical area, which would contribute to the gradual destabilisation of the Cypriot state, it was decided that the armed forces would intervene immediately to prevent the fait accompli.
Forces of the newly formed National Guard, assisted by volunteer forces, mobilized and conducted a military operation, in which, after recapturing the high ground in the area, which had been occupied by Turkish forces in the previous period, they forced the Turks to retreat to the enclave of Kokkina.
As a result, on 8 and 9 August, Tilliria was ruthlessly bombed by the Turkish air force, which wreaked death and destruction.
After the fighting in Tilliria, the volunteer units were gradually replaced by the regular army and the conscript militiamen gradually replaced the volunteers.
Until 1974, a turbulent decade followed, marked by continued conflict, the emergence of internal machinations and the emergence of a divisive climate. The events of Kofinou in 1967 led to the disbanding of the ASDAK and the withdrawal of the Division. The tragic consequence of this was the traitorous coup of 15 July and the brutal Turkish invasion of 1974.
Despite the very significant difficulties and shortages of equipment, materials and resources, the men of the National Guard, the vast majority of them, honoured the oath they had taken and exerted their best efforts to repel the invader.
Unsupported in most cases, they fought valiantly against Attila's manifestly stronger forces, offering their lives as a sacrifice on the altar of our country's freedom.
Ladies and gentlemen,
In the years following the disaster of 1974, Cypriot and Greek officers and non-commissioned officers took on the responsibility of rebuilding the National Guard and training its personnel.
Today, 60 years after the establishment of the force and with the Turkish occupation still in place, but also with the emergence of new asymmetric threats, the National Guard has assumed a multifaceted role. The challenges to which it is called upon to respond are many. Knowledge of its past and its historical course is the compass that guides it.
We must learn the lessons of sacrifice and continue to walk the path charted by our heroes. The course that the fallen and missing officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the National Guard, who kept their oath and fought to the last for the defence of the freedom of the homeland, walked proudly, with bravery and endless mental reserve.
Echoing the message of their sacrifice, we bow our heads to their venerable figures and declare unequivocally that, with the same faith and determination, we will continue to strive to achieve our highest national goals.
Happy Birthday to the National Guard.
Thank you.
(AF/GS)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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