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It is with great pleasure that I participate in tonight's presentation of the supplementary edition of the book by my dear friend Costis Hadjikostis "7 Presidential Portraits". I would like to mention that I had the honour to participate in 2016 as Government Representative in the presentation of the first edition of the book "6 Presidential Portraits", stressing, among other things, that such books concerning modern Cypriot history, which are personal experiences, contribute decisively to the effort to better understand the political history of our country and at the same time constitute guarantees for the management of our national issue.
In the context of my doctoral thesis, I studied extensively the factors that influence the formation of a state's foreign policy, as well as how a leader manages issues of paramount national importance.
Through the research and study that I started in 1998, what emerged was that leaders' ideological backgrounds, their prestige and personality, combined with their psychological characteristics and beliefs, have a particular influence on the management of important issues of high politics and also when it comes to national issues, as in the case of the Cyprus problem.
That is, in the effort to analyse and understand the choices of states in matters of high politics, more and more importance is being attached by political scientists to the Leader who makes the decisions. As argued, for example, "The first half of the 20th century was a catalytic period for the impetus and development of scholarly interest in the study of leaders. Among other things, the revolutions that took place, the economic crises, the two wars, showed the weaknesses of certain institutions or called into question various ideologies and gave more attention to the role of leaders, such as Lenin, Roosevelt, Churchill, Hitler, who through the analysis of their personalities came to the choices they made. The logic of this analysis lies in the fact that "People are not only what we see by looking at them. It is still the way they were born, the apartment or house where they learned to walk, the games they played as children, the stories they heard, the foods they tasted, the schools they went to, and much more. At the same time, studying Thucydides, we notice the importance he attaches to the personality of leaders in an attempt to understand their words and actions, calling some sane and others authoritarian.
In order to understand, that is, how a leader arrived at certain foreign policy decisions or on matters of paramount national importance, it is necessary for the scholar to know as much as possible about a leader's history, his political life, his development, who he was influenced by and what events were decisive in his life, and more.
Reading Mr. Hadjikostis' book, one of my main conclusions was the verification of this scientific approach. In reading the book you will see many references by the author that confirm this finding. The experiences, the backgrounds, the environment in which the seven former Presidents of the Republic grew up and matured politically had a decisive influence on the way they handled the Cyprus problem.
I should mention that, in the case of Cyprus, the influence of the leader on decision-making, and thus the need to study it, is even more decisive, due to the fact that in Cyprus in the past there were no developed mechanisms for the analysis of foreign policy - the well-known think tanks that exist today in some universities.
The book we present tonight is of great interest and importance, both because of the subject matter it investigates and presents, something that has not been done before to such an extent and with such methodology, and because of the author's own analysis and his general preoccupation with the political history of our country. At the same time, Mr. Hadjikostis' analysis essentially covers through its subject matter the entire evolutionary course of the Cyprus problem and presents, always through a rigorous critical approach - with which some will certainly not agree - the actions and policies of the people who decisively influenced the modern history of our country.
The responsibility is heavy, as reading Mr. Hadjikostis' book and seeing the cover, it becomes clear that the only thing that remains unchanged, unfortunately, over the years, is the fact that our country remains under occupation.
The responsibility is therefore heavy, knowing the efforts of my predecessors, the expectations of the Cypriot people, our obligation towards future generations and the long history of our country.
I fully feel the weight of historical responsibility, despite the frustrations and the counterproductive attitude of Turkey, an attitude which it has maintained continuously since 1974, even before that, and which has certainly been an obstacle to the efforts of all Presidents.
Of course, at the same time, we must in no way hide behind the Turkish attitude and intransigence. After all, at the end of the day, it is our homeland under occupation and we have the greatest responsibility to create, always within our means, the conditions for a resumption of dialogue.
As the first President of the Republic of Cyprus coming from the generation of 1974, I was born in 1973, I strongly believe that the current unacceptable state of affairs cannot be the solution to the Cyprus problem, it poses serious risks for the future of the Hellenic Cypriots, and we see every day what is happening on the part of the occupying army.
My friend Mr. Hadjikostis, your own personal testimony as reflected in a readable and properly structured book, your interpretation through your own personal political philosophy and perception is an important primary source and fills a gap in the existing literature in our country. In the introduction to your book you express the hope that your political experiences "will contribute to the creation of a more complete and multidimensional picture of historical events". My humble personal assessment is that you have already achieved this.
Thank you again for the honour of inviting me to address tonight's event. My presence here tonight is not simply related because of the subject matter of the book, but rather it is a mark of respect on my part for a man who has dedicated his life to this place and who has always had the courage of his convictions.
(PM/AF/EP)
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