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It is with feelings of deep emotion that I join you for the event entitled "Cyprus : 1974-2024, 50 years of occupation, which is co-organized by the Municipality of Oraiokastro and the Cultural Association "Logion", under the auspices of the Consulate General of Cyprus in Thessaloniki. Today, we recall the great journey of the odyssey of our homeland that starts from the darkest pages of our modern history, in 1974.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of that dramatic summer of 1974 that divided our homeland in two. Turkey, using the coup as an excuse and illegally invoking the right of the Treaty of Guarantee, invaded Cyprus in pursuit of its political and strategic objectives, violating every rule of international legitimacy, including the United Nations Charter.
It was shortly after 5 a.m. on 20 July when Turkish landing craft began to land military forces in the Pente Mili area, west of Kyrenia, and when almost simultaneously, Turkish planes began attacks on the wider Kyrenia and Nicosia area while other aircraft and helicopters attempted parachute drops.
The National Guard and ELDYK units fought with heroic self-sacrifice, but without the necessary air cover and with obsolete weaponry. The first phase of the invasion was followed by the second phase during which the city of Famagusta was also occupied, placing 37% of the territory of the Republic of Cyprus under illegal military occupation. The scale of the disaster was enormous, thousands of human lives lost, thousands of missing persons, thousands of refugees, illegal occupation of property, desecration and destruction of our cultural and environmental heritage.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Every year, on days like this, memories come alive. Unjustified and unjustified by history, we encounter the magnitude of our historical debt, the magnitude of the heavy legacy left by the sacrifice of our brave men and women on the field of battle and honor. It is our responsibility and obligation, 50 years after the Turkish invasion, to keep their memory whitewashed. We pay tribute to the greatness of the soul of all those who, with feelings of pure philanthropy, courage, self-denial and bravery, fought and sacrificed for the freedom of our homeland.
But memory is also a voice of resistance against the oblivion of the deeds of the Turkish invasion. It is a function of uplifting the lives of the living, teaching the duty of collective consciousness and action, the duty to remain vigilant and work responsibly to end the occupation and for a solution that will ensure the survival of Cypriot Hellenism.
For 50 years, Turkey has sought to legitimize the achievements of the invasion, refusing to show goodwill for constructive dialogue and cooperation, while maintaining an intransigent attitude, no matter how many negotiations have been held over the years, no matter how many peaceful efforts have been launched to resolve the Cyprus problem.
These are difficult times as never before, as Turkey is systematically working to create new fait accompli in the occupied territories and for the recognition of the pseudo-state.
Our side's goal of finding a solution based on international law and UN resolutions is also unchanging. The Government and in particular the President of the Republic, Mr Nicos Christodoulides, has never ceased to express its readiness and to show in practice its political will to continue the effort of meaningful negotiations, always with respect for the principles and values espoused by the European Union, in order to achieve a comprehensive, viable and sustainable solution in accordance with the Charter and the relevant United Nations resolutions.
Friends,
At this critical moment in our historical course, our generation is called upon to determine, through its decisions, the fate and future of our country. With optimism, with unbreakable unity, we must defend our right to live freely in a free homeland. In this struggle, Greece and the whole of Hellenism are making a multifaceted contribution. United and determined, we are ready to shape the conditions for the vindication of our people in order to give the new generation the opportunity to create their future in a European, free, equal and modern state.
Our vision is a free and common homeland for all, which is a model of peaceful coexistence and prosperity for all its citizens and a pillar of stability and security in the Eastern Mediterranean.
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