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- Ελληνικά
The long-suffering community of Assia today bids farewell to yet another hero from within. Another one of its children, a victim of the brutality and hatred that in that black summer of 1974 dominated and spread pain and exhausted its tragic consequences on the headland of Mesaoria.
It is with feelings of national pride, honour, deep emotion and debt to our missing persons and their families that the state today bids farewell to another hero of 1974. An unsung hero who, in that black summer of 1974, was called upon to defend his country against the occupiers and was present.
Andreas Diarkou of Antonis and Chrystallou from Assia was only 34 years old in 1974. He and his wife Niki built their family. Antonis was only six years old while Haroula was three. On hearing of the beginning of the Turkish invasion, Andreas rushed to join the National Guard as a reservist.
He was initially called to the area of Kyrenia, where the Turks were bombing the area on one side and landing at Pente Mili and then at Famagusta on the other. The relief of his wife Niki was immense when she saw him return a few days after the armistice was reached.
The order he receives from the National Guard is to return to his duties as a postal clerk at the post office in Lysia. The second phase of the invasion finds him and his compatriots at the place of martyrdom for dozens of Assyrians. It finds him trapped inside the village, which was now completely controlled by the occupation troops.
Assia was the village that was asked to pay a heavy price in the black summer of 1974. Fifty years later we can speak in numbers. Assia experienced nightmarish moments, it experienced in the worst way the brutality and merciless hatred of the occupiers and this is reflected in the number of executions, murders recorded in those days and the number of missing persons. Murders, assaults, rapes. The inhabitants of the village, as well as of neighbouring villages who rushed to Assia to save themselves, experience first-hand the atrocities of Turks and extremist elements of the Turkish Cypriot community. The order given on 14 August was for everyone to stay in their homes and lasted until 21 August.
On 21 August, the occupation troops ordered all men to assemble in the village square, while the women and children remained inside the houses. Around four o'clock in the afternoon of the same day, armed Turkish Cypriots arrested Andreas Diarkou and drove him and two other persons in a civilian vehicle to an unknown location. That was the last time his fellow villagers saw Andreas and the two others who were with him.
The other two arrested with Andreas were Sotiris Thalassinos and Dimitris Tsiausis. The group grave in which they were found also contained the remains of Theodoulos Solomos. Their remains were found in the area of the Turkish Cypriot village of Agia and their identification took place on 18 December 2023.
Victims of the invasion are also the children of the missing persons who lost their father in the invasion. Young fathers who left behind young children and wives to defend the homeland. In these families, the role of the father, as usual, was assumed by the grandfathers. But here, in the case of Antonis and Haroula, this was not the case.
Both grandfathers, Andreas' father, Antonis, and his father-in-law, the father of Niki, the father of his wife, George Patera, are among the heroic group of 70 Assyrians who were snatched from the houses where they were being held by the Turkish troops, piled into the terror buses and driven to the Ornithi area of Aphania. And the suffering for this heroic family does not end here, since the long list of victims includes Andreas Diarkos' uncle, George Zographos, who was also murdered for no reason by the Turkish invaders on 14 August in front of his wife Anastasia's eyes.
George Zographos, son-in-law of Antonis Diarkos, Andreas' father, was the first in this relay of death that was continued by his grandfathers, Antonis Diarkos and George Pateras, and culminated with Andreas himself.
It is for this reason that today we are called upon to bow our heads reverently to the sacrifice of Andreas, but also to his children, Haroula and Antonis, who grew up without their father figure, and Niki Diarkou, who was deprived of both husband and father, and who found refugee life with two underage babies in her arms.
Today, the epilogue of the tragic story of Andreas Diarkou is being written. A fighter for freedom and democracy, who answered the call of our homeland and sacrificed himself in its defence, faithful to his military oath, writing his name indelibly in the pantheon of our immortals. Today, after 50 years, Andreas Diarkou returns to his family, relatives and friends, to be buried with the proper honours befitting a worthy soldier of our country who gave his most precious asset, his life, for the defence of our country's freedom.
The State bids farewell to a hero who did not fear, did not bend and did not abandon his land, defying his own life. Andrew is a model of pride, heroism, militancy, principles and values, and shows all of us the path of responsibility and duty to continue the struggle for vindication. He is an example of the rich reserves of philanthropy, heroism and selfless love for our country's homeland and freedom.
Andreas Diarkou embraced and put into practice the ancient saying "Nothing is better than another patrice". Nothing is dearer than the homeland. Offering what is most precious, his own life, selflessly, on the altar of freedom and democracy, sending eternal and universal messages of love for the homeland.
A real hero, a true hero, a gentleman, who at the moment when the homeland was in need declared himself present with vigour, strength of soul and determination, did not faint in the face of the imminent danger and with self-denial offered the valour of his soul in defence of altars and hearths, in defence of our democracy and freedom.
Today, with the funeral of Andreas Diarkos, another name is removed from the list of our missing persons and at the same time a great chapter is closed, but not the book on the Diarkos family. A wound that does not close. For half a century it has remained open. His name will forever be written in the pantheon of the Immortals of Cypriot Freedom along with the names of our heroes and martyrs.
It is our duty to continue the effort to find out the fate of our last missing person. And our commitment to those who found themselves in exile that we will not forget and will continue the struggle for return to our occupied lands.
We are exemplified by the lofty visions of the lad we bury today, destined for national vindication and dignity. As a state we have a duty to keep the memory of Andreas Diarkos and all the fallen of the Turkish invasion unquenched and to pass on to the new generation their love and devotion to their native land. Their virtue and courage, their contribution and sacrifice, are an example and a beacon of our every effort.
The drama of the relatives of our missing persons is one of the most tragic aspects of the Turkish invasion. It is our obligation as a State to seek, in every possible way, to determine the fate of all our missing persons. And I convey a clear message that we are persistently committed to this goal.
At the same time, we renew our commitment to continue with all our efforts in the struggle for a just and viable solution to the Cyprus problem, which will safeguard the human rights and basic freedoms of all the Cypriot people, so that they can live in peace and security in the land of their ancestors. This will be the greatest vindication of the sacrifice of our heroes, the sacrifice of the hero Andreas Diarkos.
As a State we owe a big thank you to the hero Andreas Diarkos and his family, a big thank you to these glorious men of courage and virtue, to all those who fought, to all those who sacrificed themselves in that black summer of 1974. We are proud of the legacy they left us. Because our lads gave their lives for our freedom and the independence of our country.
Andreas, our hero, our hero, your family, all of us feel immense honor and pride. Today, we all humbly and modestly bid you farewell. Our respect, deep gratitude, admiration, appreciation and pride for your great sacrifice will accompany you forever. The homeland is ready to welcome you.
Eternal and honored is the memory of our Andreas of Antonis and Chrysallous and light the earth that will cover you.
(PM/EATH/NZ)
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