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- Ελληνικά
Today we pay tribute to a hero of our country, Minas Antoniou Papavasiliou. Today, in this venerable place, a semicolon is placed on the pain and agony of his relatives, who for 50 years have been experiencing the drama that only the relatives of the missing can fully understand.
A semicolon, because memory, pain and mourning do not stop. Both for Minas and for so many of our other heroes, whose fate has either been determined or who are still missing.
The tragedy has created bonds between relatives that are unbreakable. The suffering of one is the suffering of all. And as long as the fate of one is still unknown, this circle will not be closed, they will not be able to mourn freely.
The State has a duty and will continue the effort until the final vindication of the heroes and their relatives. Without many words. And certainly no big words.
A collective apology is due for not having been able to ease the pain earlier. For leading our country to violent division, for failing to stop the brutal invader. For betrayal. That heroes like Minas faced it and paid with their lives. A betrayal that the history of Minas' sacrifice confirms.
Minas was born on February 7, 1955 in Pera Chorio Nissos and was the youngest child of the large family of Antonis and Eleni. He joined the National Guard in January 1973 and served in the 361 Infantry Battalion based in Synchari.
During the ceasefire period, after the Turkish invasion of 20 July 1974, Minas came for the last time to his village where he met his brothers and sisters and other relatives. They all urged him not to return to the front "because everything is betrayed", as they told him. "I am a soldier" was his reply and he returned to his unit.
On 13 August 1974 the men of the 361 Infantry Battalion, with meagre weapons and shattered morale, were ordered to deploy to the Klepinis-Pachyammou area of Kyrenia. Minas was serving in the 2nd platoon of the 1st Company, which took up defensive positions in the Klepini area.
At the start of the second invasion, at dawn on 14 August 1974, the Turkish forces attacked with ferocity against positions of the 1st Company. Those who survived describe with shock the difficult hours that followed. The unprecedented barrage of fire left no room for manoeuvre. At 11 o'clock in the morning Papavassiliou's platoon was ordered to fall back to regroup. Surviving soldiers testify that the company commander and other officers abandoned them helplessly.
From the testimonies of the time, which are in the file of the Missing Persons Service, it appears that Minas was seen for the last time, together with the soldier Nikos Kosmas from Ormidea, heading towards the area of Klepini, under heavy fire.
From the testimonies of the time, which are in the file of the Missing Persons Service, it appears that Minas was seen for the last time together with the soldier Nikos Kosmas from Ormidea, heading towards the area of Klepini, under heavy fire. Kosmas was on the list of missing persons until 2013, when his remains were found in a mass grave in the "British Hills" area of Kornokipos.
The identification of Nikos Kosmas raised hopes of finding out the fate of Minas as well, but unfortunately there was no result. It took almost another ten years since then.
A tip given to the Missing Persons Service in the summer of 2022 brought to light new evidence, according to which five soldiers riding a red tractor were heading towards Lefkoniko. The findings of the excavation confirmed this version. After several days of research in the bed of the Cold River in Lefkoniko, a grave with the remains of five people was found. The tests of the genetic material identified Minas Antoniou Papavasiliou and two more soldiers of the 361st, Nikos Andreas Adamou and Charalambos Prodromou Sergiou. The remains of the other two fallen, found in the same grave, belong to Michalakis Kyprianou of George and Christofi George, sergeants of the 32nd Commando Squadron.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
The identification of remains and the issuing of a death certificate is not just a registry office act. It is the revelation of the truth, which is extremely painful but also redemptive for people who have been agonizing over the fate of their loved ones for decades. There are hundreds of parents and siblings who have waited in hope of seeing their loved ones again. Many are those who have passed away without knowing the truth. Among them are Minas' parents and siblings.
Fifty years after 1974, there are still more than 750 missing persons. This is due to Turkey's refusal to open the army archives, which contain data on most of our missing persons cases. On every occasion in every international forum the Republic of Cyprus denounces Turkey for the crime of deliberately moving and destroying mass graves of the missing, with the obvious aim of concealing the truth. I convey to you the unlimited gratitude of the President of the Republic, the Government, the State and the entire Cypriot people for the sacrifice of your beloved Minas. No one has the power to fill the void, no one is in a position to answer the unanswerable "why" that has plagued you for half a century. Your drama and suffering require the State to stand silently by your side, respecting and sharing your pain.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Ending the illegal occupation of our homeland is our ultimate goal. We are working sincerely and persistently to create the conditions for the resumption of dialogue to reach a solution on the basis of the agreed framework. Nothing outside this. It is not a slogan, it is an existential issue.
The Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General is expected to return to Cyprus in the second half of March for a new round of contacts. Our side supports Ms. Holguin's mission and will assist her in every possible way. For us, a solution to the Cyprus problem is not a slogan, it is an existential issue. The liberation and reunification of Cyprus will be the best memorial for Minas and all those who gave their lives defending the freedom and territorial integrity of our homeland. You sacrificed yourself by fighting, despite the inequality of the struggle.
From today you will rest in the soil of the community in which you took your first steps. Your relatives will be able to light your candle and remember you. Your name will forever be inscribed on the columns of our country's heroes. In this hour of grief, we salute you reverently with the promise that we will work to end the Turkish occupation. Your sacrifice, like that of all the honored braves who fell in the betrayed summer of 1974, as well as all the victims, lights our way. We thank you and are grateful to you. May the ground that covers you be light and your memory eternal.
(NZ/EP)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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