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I have strong and very mixed feelings whenever I attend such occasions, let alone when I attend the beautiful chapel dedicated to the Virgin Mary the Liberator and Saint Paraskevi, which is the most striking proof of human strength.
The crash of the "Ilios" aircraft at Grammatikos, Attica, is the worst tragedy in the history of Cypriot aviation, which took the lives of all 121 people on board, 115 passengers and six crew members.
Even today, so many years later, when we reflect on all those fatal mistakes, failures, inefficiencies and omissions that led to the tragedy, which similarly we did not experience as a people - and which had the tragic consequence of wiping out entire families - we cannot but be overwhelmed with feelings of anguish and anger.
At the same time, however, seeing all of you, the relatives and friends of the victims, I can only express feelings of awe and respect. Respect for the strength of soul that you have shown since that fateful flight that changed your lives forever and forced you to experience the greatest suffering a human being can endure.
And I would like to humbly pay my respect and admiration to my friend Vassos Georgiou, who found the courage and had the faith, perseverance and strength to complete the God-given project that he and his wife, Mary, had envisioned and embarked on.
The untimely and unexpected loss of Mr. Vassos' beloved wife and 120 of our fellow human beings, apart from all other emotions, proved the greatness of man's soul. The man who in the darkness of deep sorrow and pain, always with the help of God, finds the strength to go on, to continue, to struggle.
And this chapel is a concrete example of this greatness of soul, a monument of love, dedicated to the 121 victims of the air tragedy.
A monument erected by the soul deposit of Mr. Vassos, but also of all those who worked selflessly and supported in any way they could the effort to complete the sanctuary where we are today.
The chapel, as well as the book entitled "Chapel of Panagia Eleftherotria and Agia Paraskevi", written by our dear friend Vassos, will forever be a resounding reminder to us all, and especially to all of us who happened to be in positions of responsibility, that accountability, professionalism, control and foresight must be the rules of operation of our state, so that we do not experience such tragedies again.
Never again should we allow procrastination, fearlessness and incompetence to lead to the loss of human lives.
And in response to your request, my friend Vassos, let me assure you that the Government will proceed immediately to implement what has been announced by the previous Government - I am sure that any financial compensation can in no way alleviate the pain, but it is a chapter and what I promise you is that it will be closed on the basis of the relevant announcement of the previous Government.
Their eternal memory
(PM/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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