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- Ελληνικά
It is with great pleasure that I welcome tonight's event of remembrance and tribute to the late Archbishop Makarios and the first President of the Republic of Cyprus, which has become an institution. Allow me first to congratulate the Archbishop Makarios Foundation for its continuous and uninterrupted action and contribution since the day of its establishment, always guided by the vision and spirit of Archbishop Makarios. The man whose name became identical with that of Cyprus and who made our country an independent and internationally recognized state. To the man whose figure, without a doubt, became a symbol of militancy for freedom and the assertion of human rights.
Archbishop Makarios is admittedly the greatest ecclesiastical and political personality in the modern history of our country. From gentle dreams, he was nurtured in the nurturing of faith and tradition as a monk in the Holy Monastery of Kykkos and received an academic education in Greece and the USA. From Metropolitan of Kition he was elected Archbishop of Cyprus and dedicated his entire "being" to the restoration of the Church of Cyprus and the throwing off of the British yoke.
As Archbishop of Cyprus and President of the Republic of Cyprus, as has been aptly pointed out, he unfolds all his gifts: "Broad education, keen perception, great imposition, creative imagination and steadfast determination." He develops unparalleled activity in the ecclesiastical, social, economic, educational, missionary and national fields and lays the foundations for the functioning of the newly established Republic of Cyprus, the most important thing we have to this day.
In him the overwhelming majority of the Cypriot people place their hopes for a better tomorrow. As has always been the case historically, he also gained opponents, some of whom did not hesitate to attempt to overthrow him through the treasonous coup. But despite the political fluctuations, the difficult years with the bicommunal riots, the division even among Greek Cypriots, and the conflicting views, the attempts to eliminate him by the Athens Junta and the tragedy of the Turkish invasion, Makarios undoubtedly remained the leading leader of Cyprus and the spokesman of the ideas and aspirations of Cypriot Hellenism. The desire for freedom, the desire to shake off the occupation, the desire for peaceful coexistence, cooperation, development and prosperity.
Learning from Makarios' legacies and following the path he blazed, the path of political dialogue, talks and assertive realism, we have a responsibility today, if we truly honour his memory, to continue and intensify our efforts to break the deadlock and resume talks with a single objective: The liberation and reunification of our homeland on the basis of the agreed framework and the relevant United Nations resolutions and the principles and values of the European Union, of which the Republic of Cyprus is a member state.
With these few words I would like to congratulate once again the Archbishop Makarios Foundation for its timeless and valuable contribution to our country and for organizing tonight's event, which has become an institution.
(PM/NYAN/AF)
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