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- Ελληνικά
Dear children,
I would like to welcome you all to the Presidential Palace, and especially the stranded children from Rizokarpaso. Please know that you give strength to all of us, as well as to your classmates from other schools in Cyprus. You continue to be the living and unquenchable hope for the homeland we dream of, a homeland without dividing lines, without barbed wire, a reunited homeland where all children, all legal residents can live without restrictions, without fear, freely in a homeland, a member state of the European Union (EU).
At the same time, I would like to address the other children who are here today, who come from various state structures, to welcome them to the Presidential Palace and to reiterate that the constant concern and concern of the State is both your education and your progress and to ensure the provision of the best conditions of education, so that you can acquire the appropriate knowledge to enable you to develop your unique skills, your own unique characteristics and to enable you to meet the challenges of society tomorrow.
You children, through your boundless energy, your smiles, your innocent questions, know that you make every day more beautiful and unique. You children, our students, are the most beautiful and hopeful thing we have as a Cypriot society and it is for this reason that I will never tire of repeating that the education sector is at the top of our priorities as a government of the country.
As we approach Christmas, days of celebration and joy, we cannot help but think that the joyful message of the birth of the God-Man will not, unfortunately, be heard throughout our island this year either. Some of our churches will remain silent, some of our schools will continue to remain dilapidated for almost half a century afterwards. I want you to know that despite the difficulties, problems, challenges and frustrations in our efforts to resume talks, we will not turn away, we will not be distracted from our efforts and from our goal, which is one and only one, the end of the occupation and the reunification of our homeland. On the contrary, I would say, the difficulties we are facing make us even more determined to fight to achieve our goal.
For us, the present state of affairs can in no way be the future of our country. And I am talking about the future of our country because there are children among us. We showed it with the way we managed the difficult period of the pandemic. We are showing it today with the crisis and the war in our neighbourhood.
This optimism, that in the end we will be able to overcome every difficulty and every obstacle, is what I feel especially today as I face all of you, the children, on these special Christmas days.
I want you to know that our daily struggle as a state, as a society, your parents, your teachers, has as its basic starting point and final destination all of you, our children, the future of Cyprus, your prosperity and joy.
So, once again, I want to thank you for being with us today and wish you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year. I hope the New Year, 2024, will be the year of our country.
(PM/MS/NZ)
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