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- Русский
It is with feelings of special emotion, but above all honour, that I participate in tonight's event, to commemorate the contribution of a man who was present at the call of History, at the call of our Homeland in the struggle for the superhuman good of Freedom.
The adventurous life of Nikos Sofokleous, with such an unexpected end, and I invite you to read the book, is recorded in Maro Thoma Sofokleous' book, which is presented today after several postponements. The book was published in 2021, but its presentation was cancelled first because of the pandemic and then because of the sudden death of the author, whom we will remember and honour with love and respect.
I will not say more about the book, because I am sure that the presentation by my friend Professor Petros Papapolyvios will be, as it always is, complete and thorough. Besides, I am here to honour, on behalf of the state, the memory of Nikos Sofokleous, the farm boy from Pachna, Limassol District, who joined the ranks of EOKA before he was 16 years old, following in the heroic footsteps of his brothers. This act alone is worthy of mention, because it shows the high value system, and this is important by comparing the data then with the data today, of the pure, everyday, ordinary people of our country, who, despite the hardships and difficulties of life, placed the collective good above all else and, without hesitation, became soldiers in the struggle for universal values, such as freedom and justice.
Honouring the memory of Nikos Sofokleous, and welcoming the presence of Mr. Kosis and other colleagues of the honoured hero, we honour, at the same time, those who fought for the freedom of our country and were present at the call of the homeland in those difficult times.
The Republic of Cyprus would not exist today if it were not for this epic struggle of EOKA and we must realize what we owe to all these fighters, who sacrificed everything that was most sacred for us to be free today, for us to be proud of the Republic of Cyprus today.
And Nikos was present, both in 1955 and in 1963, when he had to defend the territorial integrity and independence of the newly established Republic of Cyprus.
We are eternally grateful to these men, because they watered with their blood the tree of freedom of our homeland and became the unquenchable light that shows us the path of duty, which is nothing other than to liberate and reunite our homeland and hand it over to our children truly free, without an army of occupation and invasive rights, in peace and security.
The resolution of the Cyprus problem is the number one priority of our administration. We are working methodically, on the basis of a specific plan and design, in order to create the conditions for the resumption of a new effort within the framework of the UN, with an enhanced role for the EU, so that the outcome is such that it justifies the struggles and aspirations of Nikos Sofokleous and all the fighters of our country.
I want to assure you that we are doing everything humanly possible to create the political and diplomatic framework in which we will proceed with honesty, realism, determination, but also with confidence, faith and assertiveness.
The effort to resolve the Cyprus problem, because I hear such voices with which I disagree, does not mean that we should not organise such events concerning the heroic struggle of EOKA.
And we have an obligation to talk to our children about the struggle of EOKA, and this does not in any way detract from a possible solution to the Cyprus problem, because a possible solution to the Cyprus problem - we will not lead to self-abolition - can only stand through respect and the realities of the Greek Cypriots, but also of the Turkish Cypriots.
In conclusion, I want to thank once again the family of Nikos Sofokleous for the very honorable invitation to participate in tonight's event, especially the nephew of the hero, who bears his name, the very good friend Nikos Sofokleous, who worked for the publication of the book and worked selflessly to honor the memory of our hero.
I wish the book well. I am sure that it will be added to the voluminous volumes of the glorious heroic Liberation Struggle of EOKA, which is recorded in the most heroic pages of the modern history of our country and remains a timeless model of self-sacrifice, valor, unabashed patriotism and love for Freedom.
And I conclude with what I mentioned earlier. There would be no Republic of Cyprus today if it were not for the struggle of EOKA.
(PM/NG)
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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