We are all here today together with the family of the hero Ioannis Skalisti to commemorate his sacrifice and his struggle that resulted in his heroic death on the field of honour in July 1974 in the area of Trachona. It is a great honour for me to be invited by the family to address today's event, I thank them. At the same time I would like to congratulate the Mayor, Mr. Andreas Papacharalambous and the Strovolos Municipal Council for their initiative and their decision to name this Municipal Park "Park of Ioannis Lazaros Scalise, Fallen Soldier of the 211th Infantry Battalion in 1974".
Such commemorative and honoring events, such as today's, help us to keep alive the memory of our struggles and heroes, strengthen our mental strength and stimulate our national consciousness, but above all help us to learn from our history. The historical lessons we must all learn from yesterday are the compass for tomorrow's course.
About four years ago, on March 10, 2018, on behalf of the State, we bid farewell to the hero Ioannis Skalisti, at the funeral service held at the church of Agios Panteleimon in Makedonitissa, after the identification of his sacred relics, I noted the well-known lines of the poet Konstantinos Cavafy, that "honor must be true to those who have appointed in their lives to guard Thermopylae, never moved by debt". With his struggle and sacrifice, Ioannis Skalistis is an example of courage and bravery for all of us, performing in full with self-denial his duty to his beloved homeland in accordance with the principles and values with which he was nurtured by his family.
When the Turkish invasion broke out on 20 July, our hero was serving his term of service in the Third Company of the 211 Infantry Battalion, which was in charge of the sensitive area of Omorphita - Trachona - Neapolis - North Pole. Together with other comrades-in-arms he manned an outpost in the area of Trachona. From the early hours of the morning the Turkish paratroopers were seen falling by the hundreds in the area north of Nicosia, while at the same time the Turkish attack on their unit's area of responsibility had begun.
The fighting continued the next day all along the front, while most of the inhabitants had begun to leave the area in search of safer shelter. On the third day, violating the agreed ceasefire, the Turkish forces went on a coordinated offensive, carrying out circular movements against the National Guard outposts, now facing a more numerous force with tanks and other more modern equipment. Thus, it was not long before the outposts of the National Guard were occupied, despite the resistance and heroism shown by our defending National Guardsmen, including Ioannis.
Since then, Ioannis Skalistis gave no signs of life and his name was entered in our long list of the missing. His remains were found in a mass grave in the area of occupied Trachona, in exhumations carried out in 2015 by the Missing Persons' Committee along with the remains of our other National Guardsmen manning outposts in the area.
Forty-eight years have passed and Neapolis, Trachona and most of Omorphita are still under Turkish occupation.
Forty-eight years have passed and Neapolis, Trachona and most of Omorphita are still under Turkish occupation. And it is our sacred duty to end this occupation and reunite our homeland, thereby vindicating the sacrifices of all our militiamen who heroically fell fighting in the area in their efforts to prevent Attila's hordes from occupying other areas of Nicosia.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
I would again like to make reference to the father of the hero Lazaros, who passed away a decade ago without being able to learn of the fate of his beloved child and pay his last respects. Lazaros Skalisti served his country from the position of a digger and pioneer of the movement to search for the missing persons of the Turkish invasion, from the first hours when the inhuman crime of the occupation forces against the families was discovered. For 30 years until his death, Lazaros was at the forefront of the struggle to determine the fate of the missing, offering invaluable services. The families of the missing persons, the state and all of us express once again our gratitude and appreciation for what Lazaros Skalistis offered to the efforts to solve the tragedy that the families of our missing persons are experiencing every day.
Unfortunately, the Skalistis family has had another painful loss these days. The sister of the honored hero, Androula Lazarou Scalise, who also experienced the pain and agony of the disappearance of her beloved brother every day for so many decades, passed away. We always remember their mother, Eva, one of the most heroic figures of the mothers of our missing persons at the barricades and at every other event with her silent gaze and the photos of their loved ones in her hands.
To the hero's brother, Anthony, who was and is a pioneer in the efforts to determine the fate of all our missing persons, we express our appreciation and respect, as well as to all members of the family, and may God rest the soul of his sister Androula, along with the souls of his other loved ones.
The problem of the missing persons and the struggle of the relatives that continues to this day is part of our history, which in no way goes out of date and shows us the path of honour and duty, as a necessary condition of our very survival.
Our duty, especially towards the relatives who have gone and are watching us from above, is heavy and we will continue to do everything possible to carry out our mission. Despite the problems and difficulties, we will not give in to the tactics and methods of the occupying power. We shall continue our holy and honourable struggle. This is our duty and national imperative. We owe it to Ioannis Skalistis, his family and our other heroes and their families, but also to History.
Fellow compatriots,
We continue to go through a difficult period of testing in our effort to ensure the survival of Cypriot Hellenism in this land with over three thousand years of Greek history.
Turkish aggression and intransigence are intensifying daily. Day by day we are witnessing the revisionism and illegal actions and threats of the Turkish leadership. We will not give in to the threats and machinations of the occupying power. We are fighting and will continue to fight for the overthrow of the occupation. We will continue the struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland.
Greeks, Greeks,
By honoring today the hero Ioannis Lazaros Skalisti, we preserve his memory and pass on to the younger generations the values that inspired the thousands of our young people who enthusiastically responded in July 1974 to the call of the homeland to defend its freedom and territorial integrity.
The struggle and sacrifice of our hero honoured today is a beacon and compass for our own actions and for future generations.P. in 1974" promising that his memory will remain eternal.
Glory and honor to the Soldier of the 211 Infantry Battalion, John Scalise of Lazarus and Eva.
Glory and honor to all our heroes.
(OP)
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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