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- Ελληνικά
It is a great honour for me to be here today at the Scientific Conference "Military Aspects of the Turkish Invasion of Cyprus", which is co-organised by the Department of History and Archaeology of the University of Cyprus and the Cyprus Oral History Association.
First of all, I would like to thank the organisers for the very honourable invitation to attend and welcome the opening of what is admittedly a very interesting conference, in which renowned scholars are participating.
It is an excellent initiative, which offers participants the opportunity to learn about and subsequently study largely unknown aspects of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the greatest tragedy in the modern history of our homeland, and one of the greatest of Hellenism as a whole.
This year marks fifty years since the catastrophic events of July 1974, the painful consequences of which we continue to experience to this day. Fifty years after the invasion, we are still mourning, burying the dead, searching anxiously for the missing and facing the alteration of the character and the denaturalisation of our occupied territories, as well as the danger of the occupying power's constant threats of new deeds.
It is generally accepted that the then prevailing political conditions, the divisions and entanglements in Cyprus and Greece, the lack of unity and unanimity, the mistakes and oversights, the betrayal, the ignorance of the danger, the incompetence and suspicious decisions of the then leadership of our Armed Forces and the conflicting interests of the two major coalitions in the region offered Turkey the opportunity and the pretext it sought to implement its illegitimate dichotomous planning.
Fully aware of the magnitude of the tragedy of '74 and the criminal mistakes and miscalculations, we stand today mentally facing the heroically fallen freedom fighters of our homeland and our missing persons who resisted the obviously superior invader, and we bow with reverence to the magnitude of the determination and fighting spirit they displayed on the battlefields.
Ladies and gentlemen,
"He who has seen the present has seen it all, both what has always been done and what will be done in the infinite future. For everything is the same and similar," Marcus Aurelius submits to us in his work "The things in themselves."
And if there is anything the Cypriot people need, it is that the truths that led to the destruction of half of our country should be shed in full light and the truths that led to the destruction of half of our country should be told. If there is anything we need to delve into as a people, if there is anything we need to learn, to be taught, it is none other than the real events that shaped the modern history of the Republic of Cyprus.
Let us therefore let the light of knowledge shine on these events, let us explore every aspect of them and let us face our history with critical reflection and a willingness to accept the truth.
It is for this reason that today's conference is an event of unquestionable academic value and great historical significance. Due to the large number of papers, on a wide range of topics related to the Turkish invasion, it plays an important role in the process of knowledge advancement.
It is a platform for academics, historians, researchers and students to listen, study and analyze the military aspects of the Turkish invasion, providing new perspectives and findings through systematic study and research.
Through the presentations and discussions, participants will have the opportunity to better understand the policies, strategies, tactics and decisions taken in a broader political - operational and military context, as well as the political - social and humanitarian implications of the 1974 Turkish invasion of Cyprus. All this in an environment of cooperation, promotion of dialogue and exchange of views, elements which are vital for academic, but also for wider social progress.
After systematic and painstaking research, the distinguished speakers will attempt to present important aspects of the period with the aim of bringing out the historical truth, which is the supreme task of historical science.
To the already demanding task of research is certainly added the complex, peculiar and often incomprehensible political and military conditions that prevailed, both in the period under consideration and in the one that preceded it.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Expressing the certainty that the results that will emerge from the work of the Conference will be of great benefit to all of us, I congratulate you on your excellent initiative and thank you once again for the honourable invitation.
Thank you.
(EAT/AFF)
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