With deep emotion and national pride we celebrate today in the Holy Church of Agia Fotini the annual memorial of the fallen of the Community of Agios Andronicus of Karpasia and we pray for the fate of our missing persons.
We commemorate and honour the courage and sacrifice with which they defended to the end their inalienable right to freedom and democracy, so brutally despised and violated by the Turkish invaders in 1974.
From the outset I would like to congratulate the President and the Members of the Community Council of Agios Andronikos, the Youth Association of the Community, the Church Committee and all the organized groups for their initiative and involvement in today's event, which undoubtedly contributes to the preservation of our historical memory, which we collectively ought to preserve.
We live in a semi-inhabited country, still experiencing the devastating consequences of the tragic chain of events that led to the black summer of 1974.
It is therefore a sacred obligation for all of us not only not to forget but to guide the younger generations in the right way, so that they know, understand and love the land and its history, in order to build their future on solid foundations.
Today, the Community of Saint Andronicus of Karpasia honours with respect all those who fell fighting or were killed cowardly, upholding high ideals and timeless values. People whose cruel fate brought them face to face with difficulties, hardships and dangers, which they faced with fortitude but also with awareness of their consequences.
Saint Andronicus of Karpasia paid a heavy toll of blood on the altar of duty and duty, since during the Turkish invasion six great men of the community, with noble feelings and a spirit of self-sacrifice, generously offered their services to the suffering homeland, giving the utmost of their strength for the sake of a higher cause.
Young people, whose families and the state did not have the opportunity, during the bitter years of uprooting and exile that followed, to place a few flowers on their tomb and the wreath of honour, as they rightly deserved, since their remains were missing and no one knew where they were.
Four of them, Odysseus Ilias, Nikos Andreou Kyriakou, Michalis Paraschou and Panagiotis Kiotti were identified in the framework of the exhumation and identification of remains programme of the Cyprus Missing Persons' Committee, which operates under the auspices of the United Nations. After anthropological and DNA tests were carried out, the identity of their remains was established and they were buried with the gratitude of all to accompany them but also with the appropriate honours.
But two heroes of the Community, Panagiotis Zachariou and Michalakis Koumi still remain in the tragic list of our missing brothers and sisters, for whom we pray today and pray for a quick determination of their fate.
The nominal and historical reference to the short course of the heroes of the Community is a minimum tribute, which keeps alive the example of the selfless love that they all, without exception, showed towards their homeland, but also our own need to humbly express, to these heroic dead as well as to their families, our respect and gratitude.
Panagiotis Zachariou was born on 29 November 1955 in Agios Andronikos of Karpasia. His parents were Antonis and Vasiliki Zachariou. Panagiotis was a child of a large family, who toiled hard to survive, so after graduating from the Primary School of his village, he started working with his father in the moulds.
In January 1973 he joined the National Guard and was assigned to the 31st Ranger Squadron. In the summer of 1974 he was nearing the completion of his military service, and when the Turkish invasion began he was on leave from his duties. He was notified to report to his unit as soon as possible, which he did with great alacrity. It is reported that he was killed in action by Turkish fire at Larnaca Lapithos on 28 July 1974. Unfortunately, his remains are still missing today.
Michalakis Koumi was born in Famagusta in 1955. His father was Nicholas Koumi from Agios Andronikos of Karpasia and his mother was Eleni from Limnias of Famagusta District.
After graduating from Secondary Education, he joined the National Guard to fulfill his military obligations, while at the beginning of the Turkish invasion he fought for his country, following the instructions of his superiors. He was last seen in the village of Dikomo on 14 August 1974.
Odysseus Elias was born in Agios Andronikos Karpasia on 11 January 1941. His parents were Elias and Athena. After graduating from the Primary School of Agios Andronikos, he continued his studies at the eighth grade high school of Aigialousis. He was an excellent student so his parents decided, after the encouragement of his teachers, to send him to Athens and specifically to the Marathi Pedagogical Academy to continue his studies in higher education.
On his return to his homeland, which he loved so much, he preferred to take written exams in order to join the ranks of the Cyprus Police.
On 1 July 1966 he married Mahi X'' Dimitri from Yialousa Karpasia, with whom he had three children. Their married life was not to last for several years, due to the invasion of 1974 and the Turkish atrocities, which were openly manifested even against unprotected civilians.
On 19 August 1974 he was arrested by the occupying army and transferred to the village of Galatia, where he was coldly executed.
In November 2006, his remains were found in a mass grave in Galatia. After being identified by the DNA method, they were then buried with glory and honour at the Macedonitissa Tomb in Nicosia.
Nikos Andreou Kyriakou was born in Varosha, on 11 November 1953. At an early age, his family moved to Trikomo, where he engaged in farming to survive.
On 7 July 1972, he married Giannoula Nikolaou from Agios Andronikos of Karpasia, where they lived. They had a daughter, Maria, whom unfortunately he was never lucky enough to see. Similarly, the child grew up in refugee and orphanhood without the protective presence of her adoring father.
On the occasion of the Turkish invasion on 20 July 1974, Nikos was asked to report to his unit, 181 Artillery Squadron, which he did without refusing.
On 23 July 1974 he fell fighting in the mountains of Pendadactylos from the fire of the Turkish conqueror.
His fate was unknown until 2013, when his remains were found at the place where he fell along with other comrades-in-arms. They were identified by DNA and subsequently buried on 23 July 2016 in the village of Avgorou, Famagusta District.
Michalis Paraschou was born on 2 July 1941 in the village of Yialousa, Karpasia.
Michalis Paraschou was born on 2 July 1941 in the village of Yialousa, Karpasia. His parents were Paraschos and Andriana.
In 1960 he married Christina from Agios Andronikos of Karpasia, with whom he settled in England. Through their marriage they had a daughter, Androulla.
In 1972 they returned to Cyprus for permanent residence and settled in Yialousa.
During the second phase of the Turkish invasion and specifically on 19 August 1974 he was arrested by the Turkish army and executed in cold blood.
His remains were found in Galatea in a mass grave.
His remains were found in a mass grave in Galatea. After their identification by the DNA method, he was buried in Larnaca in July 2007 with due honours. Panayiotis Markou Kiotti was born on 24 August 1944 in Famagusta. After completing his schooling, he worked as an upholsterer, while at the same time he participated as a member of the Famagusta Philharmonic Orchestra.
On 13 October 1963 he married Laura Koumi from Agios Andronikos of Karpasia, with whom he had two daughters.
In August 1974, during the second phase of the Turkish invasion, he was called to report as a reservist to the 201 Infantry Battalion. He responded immediately, without a moment's hesitation, motivated by pure feelings of love for his country. On 14 August 1974 he was killed in action in the area of Karaolos in Famagusta.
In 2006, after a testimony evaluated by the Missing Persons' Committee, his remains were found in a mass grave in Famagusta and subsequently identified by DNA.
His funeral took place on 9 May 2009 in Limassol with the proper honours befitting a worthy son of the homeland.
His funeral took place on 9 May 2009 in Limassol with the appropriate honours befitting a worthy son of the homeland.
Almost half a century later, Cyprus is still suffering the tragic consequences of the 1974 Turkish invasion. Refugees, missing persons, interned people, the occupying army, the destruction of our cultural and religious heritage are a painful reality. Turkish intransigence, the occupation troops, the continuous colonization of the occupied territories, make the danger of the consolidation of the fait accompli in our country increasingly visible.
The Government has never ceased to demand a just and viable solution to our national problem, leading to the creation of a modern and functional state.
The Government has never ceased to demand a just and viable solution to our national problem, leading to the creation of a modern and functional state. A solution that is based on European principles and values and that safeguards the great good of peace.
Every day we are witnessing a horrific war underway on European soil with incalculable consequences. A multi-level and huge humanitarian crisis is expanding and growing day by day, causing uncertainty and insecurity throughout the entire continent.
Cyprus from the very first moment, as a country that has experienced and continues to experience such sad events, reacted with empathy, condemning the Russian invasion, which is a clear violation of international law, expressing its solidarity and support to the Ukrainian people.
The entire European Union, to which we belong as an equal member, is working to secure a ceasefire agreement that will end the bloodshed and pave the way for negotiations. The use of diplomatic channels and an end to all aggressive action is the only feasible solution for restoring stability and security. And this is recognised by the entire political culture of humanity and in particular by Europe, which is united in its efforts to preserve peace in the face of new challenges and manifestations of barbarism.
It is in this context that our own reactions are also activated, aimed primarily at defending our state sovereignty. We recognize as particularly important the development by the Government of strategic alliances in various sectors, which highlight the enhanced geopolitical role that Cyprus can play and the fact that it can be a factor of stability in the key region of the Eastern Mediterranean.
The President of the Republic, despite the challenges and obstacles, continues to declare the readiness of the Greek Cypriot side to continue the dialogue from the point where it was terminated as a result of the refusal of the Greek Cypriot side to resume the dialogue. The greatest debt to these people, who gave their lives for their homeland and its freedom, is the reunification of our land, the preservation of our historical memory and identity and the survival of Cypriot Hellenism in the land of its ancestors.
Eternal be the memory of the worthy and wise children of the community of St. Andronicus of Karpasia, whose sacrifice is a shining example of courage, honesty and philanthropy. All, virtuous traits, which should crown and guide every act of our own life as well.
(PM/EC/SX)
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