-
.
- Ελληνικά
It is with feelings of honour, pride, immense respect and deep emotion and being fully aware of my duty towards you that I am here today at this event of remembrance and honour, which serves the ever topical message of "I do not forget". The fact that half a century later similar events are organized by the organized groups of our occupied communities demonstrates, on the one hand, the unquenchable flame of return that each one of us retains within ourselves and, on the other hand, proves the justice of the struggle of our people. Through this event, we will pay the minimum tribute to our missing and fallen.
The missing and fallen of the communities of Masari and Filias, two neighbouring villages, who were called upon to pay a heavy toll of blood during the Turkish invasion of 1974. Behind every story of the missing or fallen of the communities of Masari and Filias are tragic stories. Stories that demonstrate the heroism, self-sacrifice, solidarity and the love these people had for their land.
Soldiers who were called upon from the first day of the invasion to defend their homeland and honour their oath to defend the territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, elderly people whose roots in the land that gave them birth were so deep that the Turkish invaders uprooted them, families who fell victim to Turkish atrocities.
Paying tribute to the fallen of the Turkish invasion is the least we should do as a state. It is not an obligation, but a debt and a promise, not only to the victims themselves, but also to their families, who have been living with the consequences of the invasion for half a century. Especially for a people who continue to experience the occupation and its devastating consequences.
Today, on this solemn occasion, we honour 16 souls. Sixteen people, whose traces were either lost during the war, or whose fate is unknown, with some of them having been identified and calibrated through the Missing Persons' Identification Programmes.
Starting from Masari, Savvas Hadjisavva, born in 1914, at the age of sixty experienced first-hand the brutality of war. He left Masari with his family during the second phase of the invasion, and three days later decided to return to get food, clothes and other essentials. In Katokopia he was arrested by the occupying army. Hadjisavas was not among the lucky ones, whom the Turks allowed to go to the free areas, from those gathered in the Masari café. His whereabouts have since been lost.
We also pay tribute to Eleni Hadjisoluka, Chrystalla Simeou and Stylou Hadjicostis from Masari and Evanthia Hadjisolomou from Filia. Four iconic women, who at an advanced age found themselves exposed to the rage, hatred and inhumanity of the invaders who did not respect the fact that they were helpless elderly women.
Hatzieleni Hatzilouca was born in 1904 and lived her whole life in Masari. On the day of the second phase of the invasion she was stranded in the village, since due to mobility problems she was unable to walk and leave her village. The last person to see her was her grandson, who, after hiding in the village orchards, managed to escape at night and was rescued. The traces of the seventy-year-old Haziluka have since disappeared.
Chrystalla Simeou[/B] left Gerolakkos, where she was staying with her daughter, to escape from the Turkish air force, which was bombing the camps in the area. That is why her relatives, at the age of 85, arranged for her to be transferred to her other daughter's house in Masari. When the Turks invaded Masari, Chrystalla was trapped, as she could not walk. She was arrested by the Turks and after the actions of the United Nations she was transferred to Morphou. On 20 November 1974 she passed away. In 2020, her remains were exhumed from the cemetery of Morphou and reinterred in the cemetery of Polis Chrysochous. Since then her traces have disappeared and it remains unknown what happened to her.
Crippled and unable to move was also Evanthia Chatzisolomou. Born in 1900, the sixty-seven-year-old Chatzisolomou lived alone in Filia and her fate has been unknown since 16 August 1974.
Today we also pay tribute to the unsung heroes of the invasion. Those who left behind women and children and declared themselves present at the call of the homeland. Those who did not flee and in the chaos found the courage to stand as a mound against the advances of Turkey.
Such is the story of Charalambos Theologos and Konstantinos Pami from Filia, whom we commemorate today. Married, father of three children, resident of Filias, Theologou joined the legendary 256 Infantry Battalion as a reservist on July 20. Charalambos belongs to this heroic group of heroes, who against all odds, with scarce means but abundant reserves of heroism, fell for altars and hearths.
Konstantinos Pamis and Charalambos Theologou with the rest of the men of the 256th Battalion.P. took part in various military operations and after the ceasefire after the first phase of the invasion, they received orders and went to the area of Lapithos and manned defensive positions of the National Guard.
On 6 August and while the ceasefire was in effect, Turkish troops launched a large and coordinated attack against the National Guard men throughout the Lapithos-Karava area using heavy weaponry and a large number of tanks.
Due to the superiority of the Turkish troops and the disruption of the National Guard's defensive lines in the area, the men of 256 T.P. were ordered to disengage.
During the disengagement, a number of men of 256 T.P.
Among the soldiers who were trapped inside Lapithos was the group of Theologos and Pami, which in its attempt to find a way of escape, ran into a Turkish tank convoy.
Among the soldiers who were trapped inside Lapithos was the group of Theologos and Pami, which in its attempt to find a way of escape, ran into a Turkish tank convoy. Since then their traces have been lost. Their remains were exhumed from a group grave, which was found in the area of Lapithos and after being identified, they were buried with due honours in the Mound of Makedonitissa.
In the heroic 256 Infantry Battalion served his service and Ioannis Theodorou, who carried the rank of sergeant. According to testimonies, Theodorou followed the same course as Theologou and Pami, but his traces have been missing since August 6, 1974.
Today we also remember Stylianos Orphanidis, father of a child, who on July 20 found him enlisting as a reservist in the 173rd Anti-Tank Artillery Squadron, which was based in Karaholos Famagusta.
Today we also remember Stylianos Orphanidis, father of a child, who on July 20 found him enlisting as a reservist in the 173rd Anti-Tank Artillery Squadron, which was based in Karaholos Famagusta. Orphanides was called to defend the Mias Milia-Koutsoventi line.
During the second phase of the invasion, Orphanides' 173 Squadron was heavily attacked by Turkish troops. Due to the superiority of the invaders, shortly before noon, instructions were given to disengage from the area. Orphanides reached as far as Voni and, while the area fell into the hands of the invaders, he ended up in a house with a number of other soldiers. The roads to the Nicosia area were blocked by Turkish tanks. At dawn the next day, the house in which they were gathered was attacked by a group of Turkish soldiers. Orphanides was trapped inside the house which Turkish soldiers entered by shooting. He has since given no signs of life. His remains were exhumed from a grave, which was found in the area of Voni, and after being identified, he was buried with due honours in the Macedonitissa Tomb.
The only hero we commemorate today who is a victim of the first phase of the Turkish invasion is 19-year-old Christoforos Apostolidis, known as Romios.
Apostolidis, born in Filia, was serving his military service in the Higher Tactical Command on the day of the first phase of the invasion. On 22 July he fell heroically fighting in the battle at the Turkish Cypriot village of Elia. He was subsequently handed over to his family who managed to bury him on 23 July in the cemetery of Filias.
At this modest ceremony we also pray for our missing persons, whose fate has not yet been ascertained. Among them is Andreas Mettis, from Filia. On the day of the first phase of the invasion he enlisted as a reservist in the 366 Recruiting Battalion based in Paleometocho.
After the fierce fighting of 20 July, Mettis' Battalion moved to the area of Kyparissovouno. On the day of Panagia, 15 August, his group ends up in Kaputi. They then set off for Morphou, where on the way they came under heavy fire from the Turkish troops entrenched in the area. Since then, Mettis and another soldier of the group are missing.
As is Kyriakos Ioannou from Filia, a father of four children. Kokkofitis, as he was known, served as a supervisor at the Kythrea Police Station, During the second phase of the invasion, on 14 August, after the National Guard lines were broken, the Turkish army was heading towards Kythrea. Ioannou, ensured that his wife and children could safely go to the free areas and despite their pleas, he decided to stay in Kythrea to help its inhabitants leave it for safer areas. He was last seen at Palaikythro, where he was heading towards the village's café area. Since then no one has seen him.
The father of six children was Andreas Tsangaris from Filia. While the villagers were leaving their homes to go to safer areas, he refused. According to testimonies, he stayed inside the village café, together with its owner, while in the evening he started to go home. Since then he gave no signs of life, while his remains were found in 2015 in the area of Kyra Morphou and after being identified, he was buried in the cemetery of the Anthoupoli Cemetery.
In closing this brief history of the sacrificed and missing persons of Filias and Masari, I could not fail to emphasize the greatness of the Orphanidis family. A family that was literally wiped out during the war.
So, instead of an epilogue, I will close with the dramatic and full of universal messages history of the family of these holy people of our Cyprus. Of Andreas Orphanides (Rameses), his wife Chrystalla Andreou Orphanides from Filia and their daughter who was 26 years old, Militsa Orphanides.
The Orphanides family, like the other families of Kythrea, were preparing to leave the village before the entrance of the Turkish troops caught up with them. Just before boarding the bus, they saw three Greek Cypriot soldiers, who were asking for civilian clothes to take off their camouflage, in order to save themselves from the bloodthirsty invaders. Alarmed by the soldiers' pleas, Andreas Orphanides and his family decided to return home to give clothes to the three soldiers. With the bus gone, the Orphanides family remained in their home. When Turkish soldiers then invaded their house, they murdered all three of them, and a few days later, villagers who tracked them down buried them in the yard of their house.
Along with the heroes of the Turkish invasion, we also honour Euripides Kyriakou from Filia, married in Konteno, who was among the eight Kontenenians massacred in 1958 by the Turks in Kioneli. We honour Solon Solomi from Masari, who was one of the 486 martyrs of 9 July 1821 who were carathed or massacred by the Turks together with Archbishop Cyprian and other clergy and laity. In particular, Procritos Solon Solomis was caratomised on 10 July 1821.
Through the story of the Orphanides family, the sacrifice of the reserve conscripts of Filia and Masari, the old women who were disrespected by the invaders, we draw lessons. Lessons that from the ashes of the devastation and destruction that they spread in Cyprus in 1974, make us stronger, more mature and more determined. Determined to work with all our strength to determine the fate of our missing persons and at the same time for the liberation of our homeland. Our promise is that, as is the title of today's event chosen by the organisers, whom we congratulate for their initiative, we will remember and honour our fallen and missing. Those who are a beacon for younger generations and for all of us. These people who remained in their villages, in the place where they were born to guard Thermopylae, experiencing first-hand the war crimes committed by the Turkish invaders. It is our duty to honour them with the respect they deserve, promising that their memory will remain eternal, keeping the flame of the desire to return unquenched.
(PM/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are owned by PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
Source
