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Fully aware of our historical debt, we are gathered here today, at the Holy Church of Agia Paraskevi, to honour the deserving young people of Geroskipou who gave their lives on the altar of freedom.
To the call of history to defend the homeland and the nation, the response of our people has always been immediate, spontaneous and enthusiastic. The absolute devotion to the ideals of freedom and national dignity were always deeply engraved in the heroic souls of the Cypriots.
The Municipality of Geroskipou offered much from its lads, who, at various critical moments, stood courageously in the battles and fell heroically for the values of our nation.
With feelings of immense respect and national pride, we commemorate today Christos Konstantinidis, Petros Efstathiou, Giannakis Taliotis, Antonis Antoniou and Michalis Kyprianou.
Christos Konstantinidis of Sotiri was born in Geroskipou on October 6, 1896. At a very young age he volunteered for the Greek Army, leaving behind his parents and siblings. Cypriots were always present at the war mobilisations in Greece and at that time there were many who ran to fight for Greece, despite the efforts of the British to prevent them. Christos Konstantinidis took part in the Balkan Wars of 1912-1913 and the Asia Minor Campaign, where he served with the rank of Sergeant in the 33° Infantry Regiment. On 18 July 1920, at the age of 24, Konstantinidis fell heroically at the Battle of Demertzis, drenching the martyred land of Asia Minor with his blood. In a letter sent by the Company Commander to Konstantinidis' parents to announce the glorious death of their son, he stated that "our Great Patrice will feed eternal gratitude to him and his honoured parents, who give such children with such feelings, who fight like truly brave and heroic men and know how to press on, like other Spartans, without abandoning their positions."
Petros Efstathiou was born in Morphou, on 16 November 1944. He was a child of the large family of Christos and Panagiota. After finishing the Primary School of Morphou, he worked in construction. He lived sometimes in Morfu and sometimes in Trachona, Nicosia.
Petros Efstathiou had been missing since 23 December 1963, the day on which he was arrested by armed Turkish Cypriot groups while trying to remove his stepmother and younger siblings from their home in Trachona.
Petros Efstathiou had been missing since 23 December 1963, the day on which he was arrested by armed Turkish Cypriot groups while trying to remove his stepmother and younger siblings from their home in Trachona.
Efstathios' remains were recovered between 20 July 2012 and 15 January 2013, in Hamit Mandres, in a mass grave, as part of the Missing Persons' Committee's exhumation and identification programme. His remains were identified using the DNA method and his family was informed 57 years later in August 2020. The hero was buried with military honours at the Geroskipou cemetery on 11 October 2020, where his father and mother's grave is located.
The hero Giannakis Taliotis was a leading fighter during the 1963-64 riots, when Turkey first attempted to intervene on the island by bombing Tilyria.
Giannakis Taliotis was born on January 30, 1947, in Geroskipou.
Giannakis Taliotis was born on January 30, 1947, in Geroskipou. He was the third of the nine children of Prodromos Taliotis and Charalambia Farfaras. He attended the Geroskipou Primary School and later the Paphos High School. In 1963, he ran to register as a volunteer fighter in the Company of Kostas Nikitas and later in the Company of Dimitrakis Konstantinidis, in which his brother Nikos also participated. As a teenager he took part in all the battles of Paphos, where he was distinguished for his bravery, courage, daring and determination. From 5 to 8 August 1964, the Company of Giannakis Taliotis fought with courage and self-sacrifice, aiming to advance to the occupation of the foothills of the mountain range that separated Kokkinas from Pachyammos, a barren area with little vegetation.
From 5 to 8 August 1964, the Company of Giannakis Taliotis fought with courage and self-sacrifice, aiming to occupy the foothills of the mountain range that separated Kokkinas from Pachyammos, a barren area with little vegetation. Giannakis Taliotis took over the duties of the operator of the Bren machine gun. In conditions of hunger and thirst, under the hot sun, and with huge losses, the hoplites managed to successfully repel the repeated attempts of the Turks. By 9 August, when help arrived from the National Guardsmen of the Class of 1947, Dimitrakis Konstantinidis' company was almost decimated. The remaining soldiers of the Company returned to the village of Pachyammos for rest. Suddenly Turkish war planes appeared again and began to attack indiscriminately with machine guns and napalm bombs. Everyone ran for cover, but Yannakis Taliotis took the brenn in his hands and began to fire at the enemy. Then the machine gun bullets hit him in the chest. Before he reached the age of 17, Yannakis Taliotis soaked the mountains of Tillyria with his blood, defending his homeland to the end.
Antonis Antoniou was born on August 23, 1955, in Petra Solea, where he lived with his parents, Kostas and Dora, until the Turkish invasion.
In January 1974, he joined the National Guard to fulfill his military obligations. After his basic training, he was assigned to the 1st Company of the 399 Infantry Battalion, Bogazi, Famagusta.
On 20 July 1974, the day the Turkish invasion of Cyprus began, Antoniou and the rest of the men of the 399 Infantry Battalion were instructed to intercept the Turkish invasion troops at Kyrenia.
On 20 July 1974, the day the Turkish invasion of Cyprus began, Antoniou and the rest of the men of the 399 Infantry Battalion were instructed to intercept the Turkish invasion troops at Kyrenia. They then continued towards Belapais and reached the area of Mias Milias, where they established defensive positions by opening trenches.
On the morning of 14 August 1974, powerful Turkish forces, supported by the air force and a large number of tanks, launched a fierce attack against the National Guard forces in the area of Mias Milias. After fierce fighting and due to the superiority of the Turkish troops, a retreat and regrouping was ordered in the Eucalyptus area of Mia Milia. Shortly afterwards and due to the circular movement of tanks, a new order was given to retreat, which was completely disorganized and in various directions. Some of Antonio's group moved towards the area of Palekythros - Gaidoura, and eventually ended up in the free areas. He and another soldier preferred to remain in the Eucalyptus area. Since then no one has heard from them. In 2015, the remains of the hero Antonis Antoniou were identified by the DNA method.
Michael Kyprianou was a member of the large family of Christofi and Chrysanthi. He joined the National Guard in January 1973 and was assigned to the 1st Company of the 286 Mechanized Infantry Battalion. In July 1974, at the age of 19, Kyprianou found himself fighting on the front line in defense of his country. The hero was killed in action on 15 August 1974, on the Lapatsa Heights, in the area north of Skylura. His fate was unknown until 2017, when his remains were identified by DNA.
The Cyprus we live in today is not the Cyprus envisioned by the heroes we commemorate today. It is not the Cyprus for which they fought and sacrificed. Almost half a century later, our homeland remains divided, 49 years of occupation and still families are still waiting to know what happened to their loved ones, 49 years later we are still burying the dead. 49 years is too long, dangerously long.
Almost half a century later, then, our historical debt remains, and our historical debt cannot be limited to the mechanical reading of speeches and quoting of dates. If our sincere will is to pay tribute to the heroes we commemorate today, then we must do justice to their sacrifices, translating their values and ideals into our compasses and beacons. They gave their lives defending our country, hoping that their own sacrifices would be enough to redeem others. I'm sure they would have liked to live, and yet they chose death. That, after all, is heroism, to choose the transcendence of oneself, the ego replaced by the we.
49 years after the brutal Turkish invasion, we still have much to draw from the sacrifices of our heroes, but we have - above all - a responsibility towards them to make every possible effort, to dedicate every last bit of our strength until our martyred homeland is redeemed.
49 years after the barbaric Turkish invasion, we still have much to draw from the sacrifices of our heroes, but we have - above all - a responsibility towards them to make every possible effort, to dedicate every last bit of our strength until our martyred homeland is redeemed.
We owe it not only to the generations that have left, but - perhaps even more so - to our children, to hand over to them a smoother, prosperous and secure homeland, where they will enjoy the obvious, like every European citizen.
A just, peaceful and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem is our highest national mission.
A just, peaceful and sustainable solution to the Cyprus problem is our highest national mission. And it is precisely this mission that the President of the Republic has been serving from the very first moment, taking initiatives aimed at resuming negotiations from where they left off in Crans-Montana. President Christodoulides' proposal for more active EU involvement in efforts to resume negotiations is a modern and sober approach. A proposal which not only makes use of our status as an EU Member State and the incentives that the EU possesses, but which will also make a catalytic contribution to the efforts of the United Nations. We remain committed to achieving a final settlement of the Cyprus problem, within the agreed framework, on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality, in accordance with the UN Security Council resolutions and the European acquis, one sovereignty, one citizenship and one international personality.
President Christodoulides' great diplomatic effort will continue, it is our historic responsibility to never give up the effort, to continue until the moment when Cyprus is no longer the only divided country in Europe, until the Cyprus problem is no longer an open wound in the heart of Europe.
Today, with humility and awe, we pay a minimum tribute to the heroes of the Municipality of Geroskipou who, with extraordinary courage, offered themselves on the altar of freedom and sealed with their blood the glorious pages of our history.
Let this memorial be for all of us the opportunity to reflect on our historical debt and to stand with the respect due to the sacrifice of our heroes. Let us keep the lessons of philanthropy and self-sacrifice that they passed on to us as a valuable legacy, in order to preserve them and pass them on to the generations that will succeed us.
Aristophanes said that "heroes are never found in darkness", so let us walk in the light of our heroes, to face our future with hope and perspective. As Kostis Palamas emphasizes. For the day to come when we will secure a just and viable solution to our national problem. For the day to come when our country will be reunited and truly free, unencumbered by occupying troops, guarantees and invasive rights.
We honour and bow to the great sacrifice of the heroes we commemorate today. Their memory will be eternal, just as our struggle will be unceasing until the final vindication, the justification of their sacrifice.
(PM/MB)
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