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With feelings of supreme respect and eternal gratitude we came, today, to the site of the Heroes' Monument in Saint George Square in Mazotos, to celebrate the trisagion in memory of the fallen of the community Dimitrakis George and to recite a prayer to determine the fate of our missing person Panagiotis Sofroniou.
"Ethos menschpo daimon", the ancient philosopher Heraclitus tells us.
Ethos, i.e. character, shapes the fate of man. It is he who determines his behaviour and actions. Character is formed and shaped in the spirit of the times and is forged through participation in collective struggles and national aspirations and demands.
And indeed, what Dimitrakis' sacrifice expresses is nothing other than the aspiration and need of the Cypriot people for the protection of their sacred right to freedom and justice.
With his blood he watered the tree of Cypriot freedom, continuing the uncompromising tradition of the Greeks' struggles for national dignity.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The vigorous effort of Cypriot Hellenism in 1963 and 64 to defend the Republic of Cyprus was followed by a gloomy, turbulent decade of uneven conditions, with the main feature of intercommunal conflicts, but also the civil strife, which unfortunately, had as a tragic result the infernal coup d'état of 15 July 1974.
In the following days, Turkey's long-planned dichotomous plan, which had been averted with immeasurable effort, blood and pain a few years earlier, was to be implemented. The ruthless Turkish invasion was the inevitably disastrous outcome for Cyprus.
Our people were once again called upon to rise to the occasion and defend with vigour, determination and self-denial the freedom and territorial integrity of our homeland.
In the black summer of Cyprus, in the sad July and August of 74, genuine Greek valour and the unending passion to defend the homeland turned ordinary everyday people into lads who willingly fought bravely against the fury of the Turkish army.
One of them was the man we commemorate today.
Dimitrakis Georgiou was born on 14 October 52 in Alamino, in the large family of George and Adrian. There he lived his childhood, until the beginning of his high school studies, when it was decided to move to Mazotos.
After high school he continued his studies at the KASA school, and, completing it, he was called to serve in the National Guard.
After his basic training, he was assigned to the 251 Infantry Battalion, which was based in Kyrenia, next to the Church of Panagia Glikiotissa.
Shortly after 8 a.m. on 20 July, the day of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, the positions of the National Guard units and the wider area of Kyrenia were shaken by relentless bombardment by Turkish warplanes and ships.
The 251st was called upon to be the first to face the onslaught of Turks attempting to land on the coast of Pente Mili. Only when the Turkish units of the "Chakmak" Brigade had disembarked, undisturbed and without pressure, did the 251st Infantry Battalion receive an order to implement the war plans.
The officers, non-commissioned officers and privates of the Battalion, with their outdated combat equipment, but with the soul of lions, engaged in fierce battles with the Turkish army.
Despite the uneven nature of the fight, they inflicted significant casualties on the invading forces, which they pinned down for 48 hours on the beach of departure, preventing the bridgehead from merging with the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Nicosia and giving the National Guard valuable time to organize and attempt to break it up.
Unfortunately, despite the touching, in bravery and fortitude, battle fought by the men of the 251st, the most critical hours for the defence of Cyprus passed without the National Guard managing to deal with the situation by sending sufficient forces in time to neutralise the bridgehead.
The superiority of the invasion forces, which had air and naval support, broke the fierce resistance of the fighters. After the defense lines were breached, individually or in small groups, the fighters of 251 retreated towards Kyrenia, in an attempt to escape the encircling Turkish forces that were tightening around them.
Those of the personnel who managed to escape, regrouped and in the second phase of the invasion, at the line of Mias Milia - Koutsoventi and later in the area of Idaliu - Potamia, stood again against the enemy.
The 251 in the battles of July and August 1974 counted tragic losses.
The 251 in the battles of July and August 1974 counted tragic losses. More than a third of the unit's strength were among the dead and missing, while 75 others experienced captivity in military prisons in Turkey.
In the battles of Mias Milia, on 14 August, the traces of Dimitrakis Georgiou were lost.
His remains were found in a mass grave in the area of the Turkish Cypriot village of Tziaos, along with the remains of 19 other Greek Cypriots, and his burial took place in 2009 in his hometown.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Today, with our presence here, we also pray for the fate of our missing person Panagiotis Sofroniou Christoforou.
Panagiotis was born in Mazotos on January 1, 1940. He is the only son of Sofronis and Rebecca, and the second of the family's eight children.
From a very early age, difficult economic conditions forced him to enter the world of work. After completing his primary school education, he followed the trade of a builder.
At the age of 23, he married his beloved Eleftheria Kostis Tantanti from Kiti, with whom he was fortunate to have three children, Christakis, Argyroula and Rebecca. He was a leading member of the builders' guild of the Pancyprian Labour Federation in Kiti, where he and his wife resided after their marriage.
On the morning of 20 July 1974, he was one of the first to report as a reservist to the 226th Infantry Battalion, in order to offer the best of his strength in the effort to defend the freedom, sovereignty and territorial integrity of our country.
During the second phase of the Turkish invasion, the 226 Infantry Battalion, after carrying out various missions, ended up in Palaikythro.
The National Guard units there, on 14 August, put up a dramatic resistance to the Turkish attack. The superiority, however, of the Turkish troops, which were reinforced with a large number of tanks and with strong air support, was unquestionable.
For this reason the defensive line was soon broken up and a rapid disengagement of the friendly units followed, with the personnel acting sometimes ordered and sometimes at will. Panagiotis Sofroniou Christoforou, along with other comrades-in-arms, attempted to retreat to the free areas. They boarded a truck, which unfortunately was hit by a Turkish tank shell.
Some of the occupants were arrested and taken to the Turkish Cypriot village of Mora, without any signs of life since then. Others were arrested in nearby areas. Several of them were taken as prisoners to Amaseya and Adana in Turkey. Some are still missing to this day.
On the monument to the fallen and missing of the 226 Infantry Battalion, located on Artemis Avenue in Larnaca, the name of Panagiotis Sofroniou Christoforou is included in the long list of the missing of the Battalion.
We are constantly reminded of the drama of our long-suffering homeland.
It constantly reminds us of the drama of the families of our missing persons.
It reminds us of the most tragic consequence of the 1974 Turkish invasion, which is also the most painful wound for the Republic of Cyprus.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Our presence here today sends a very strong message. That our will for the lifting of the occupation, liberation and reunification of our homeland still remains strong and unwavering.
We clearly declare that any difficulties, obstacles and feelings of fatigue, due to the long and prolonged current situation, will not overwhelm us, will not overwhelm us.
We must continue to strive to create the conditions that will pave the way for the resumption of the talks process.
A process that will lead to a viable comprehensive settlement of the Cyprus problem.
As the President of the Republic, Mr. Nicos Christodoulides during his address to the 78th General Assembly of the United Nations, it is time for the UN to become a driving force for dialogue by appointing, as a first step, an envoy for the Cyprus problem, to explore and prepare the ground for the resumption of negotiations.
This effort to achieve peace in Cyprus can also be supported by the European Union, which also has the necessary tools at its disposal and has expressed its commitment to help reunite the last divided member state.
We have made it clear in every direction that changing the basis of the solution and proposing a two-state solution is out of the question, as this would constitute a perpetuation of the facts of the invasion and illegal occupation and would be contrary to UN resolutions and international law.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today, with humility and awe, we pay our due tribute to Dimitrakis Georgiou, who died during the Turkish invasion, and we pray for the fate of Panagiotis Sofroniou.
The Heroes Monument will symbolize the eternal appreciation of the residents of Mazotos, but also of the entire Cypriot Hellenism, to the towering figures of the two young people of the community who in the tragic summer of 1974 defended to the end the freedom of our homeland, dignity and justice.
Together, it will be an everlasting reminder of our own responsibility to remain standing and steadfast and to fight tirelessly and resolutely to claim what belongs to us, until the final vindication.
Honor and glory to those who fought and fell for the homeland.
Honor and glory to those who fought and fell for the homeland.
May the Almighty help to determine the fate of all our missing persons and bless the freedom of our Cyprus.
Thank you.
(NΓ)
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