The lyrics of Kyriakos Charalambidis' poem "Child with a photograph" depict in relief, in the most apt and dense way, reaching the depth of the drama and pain experienced by the Greek Cypriot people because of the Turkish invasion of 1974.
The child desperately searching for his father through a photograph. The child who, in his betrayed eyes, closes the futile search for justice. The child who, through the stifling breath of the world, is left with injustice in his face. The child who lived and grew up in an upside-down world and on his shoulders always carried the responsibilities of others and the burdens of all of us...
Compatriots, compatriots,
The memories are indelible and the debt is heavy. Very heavy...The least we owe is to pay in this sacred place the proper tribute to our fallen and missing from that horrible war of conquest that our homeland suffered.
A sacred memorial, forty-eight years later. For those lads who, with self-denial and a sense of self-sacrifice, fought to defend the lands of our homeland and our freedom. For those young men who, with enviable courage, in spite of inadequate equipment and general disorganization, stood and resisted the attack and imposition of the Turkish army. Along with remembering and paying tribute to the dead, we renew our commitment to the persistent effort to ascertain the fate of our missing persons.
In remembering the fallen and missing of Aglantzia, we recall twenty-two of our compatriots who fell dead or whose traces were lost in the confusion of war, on the battlefields. Images of fighters and martyrs for the honour of the homeland and for the universal human ideals of freedom and human dignity come to mind. Five of them, three women, a four-year-old girl and a civilian, perished in those days and since then there has been no news of their fate.
But at this time we need to remember that the war that followed the Turkish invasion was not only absolutely contrary to law and multiply unequal, but it was also betrayed from the very beginning. The betrayal had disorganised the country and its defences. But therein lies the distinctive greatness and philanthropy of the defenders of the homeland who stood and defended themselves in the front line and fought the enemy and fell for freedom, even after they knew of the betrayal. But we should still note that Turkey is as a rule such conflicts that it seeks...it exploits international instability or even local destabilization, intrudes in crises and feeds its expansionism from the difficulties and problems of others, usually by breaking through "open doors". As we have recently seen elsewhere, in Syria and Libya. That is why today, in the turmoil of the international system and in the face of the ongoing and intensifying threats and aggressive attempts to overturn international conventions and balances by the Turkish regime, our vigilance and unity is as imperative as ever.
But bringing to mind the events of 1974, we should also underline the all too familiar. If Cyprus had been left to defend itself then, it would have been very difficult for Turkey to succeed in installing its occupying army. Is there still any doubt that, had not the force of the "division" been driven out some years previously, Turkey could never have got a foothold in Cyprus? Therefore, at the time when we painfully touch certain aspects of our history, we must also draw lessons...
Greeks, Greeks,
At the moments when Hellenism encounters history, it draws on its tradition and its roots and stands its ground. There are many great moments in Greek and especially Cypriot history when the citizen, becoming a soldier and defender of the homeland, in the face of patriotic duty, shows unparalleled courage and courage. Such moments bring to mind the honour we pay today to enlisted ordinary people who put aside their 'I' and devoted themselves body and soul to something higher, to philanthropy and 'we'. Defending the shores of Kyrenia, Pentadaktylos, Messaoria, Nicosia...the warriors of 1974 defended our soil, but also defended universal human values. The dignity of man who must be free in his place and land.
If one attempts to search for meaning through the acts of self-denial and philanthropy of the warriors of that bitter war, then one will reach the ethos of all the struggles of Cypriot Hellenism for freedom since ancient times. Acts of courage and heroism were never thoughtless actions or thoughtless spur of the moment. They have always been deeply rooted in the high ideals of human dignity and freedom, which have nurtured generations upon generations of Greeks in this land and which are an integral part of the substance of a peaceful society that never accepts to separate the essence of peaceful life from freedom. Ideals which, when the need arises, make ordinary people overcome everyday and earthly weights and rise, fly high! So in those days, amidst the echo of battle, destruction and calamity, the heroes of Aglantzio who found themselves on the battlefields took a moment to look within themselves and look up. They rose above the earthly and the small. They were measured and confronted with the boi of freedom, the true boi of man - as the poet of Romion, Yannis Ritsos, puts it - and appeared to be high-minded patriots, worthy defenders of our freedom. These fighters identified themselves with the long tradition and history of struggles for the freedom of this land and our nation and became heroes! They thus became role models of militancy and defence of national and universal values:
Georgios Yagou, Michael Zeniou, Marios Pecas, Konstantinos Pilides, Christos Triantaphyllides, Marios Hadjisavas, Phoebus Christofi, Andreas Kyprianou, Savvas Hadjisimeou, Alexandros Olympiou... They fought courageously and fell for their country and freedom.
Compatriots,
Any attempt to describe the national tragedy that befell our country in 1974 cannot do justice to the extent of the losses: approximately 36-37% of our land has been under Turkish occupation ever since. One third of the population was uprooted from their lands and scattered throughout the rest of the country, in villages and towns, as it were, with no possibility of maintaining social cohesion at the time. Thousands of young people lost their lives. Civilians and women and children were abused and martyred. Families were uprooted. Souls were scarred forever. Forty-eight years later, we are still standing, counting the pain and the weight of the consequences of the invasion and occupation. Next to the pain and bitterness, however, is determination. We are determined not to accept injustice and dispossession.
In all these years that have passed - almost half a century - it is now more than obvious: what happened then and what has been added since then was not the product of circumstances and isolated events. The line of continuity between plans from 1956 and the then-secret reports of Nihat Erim has become clear. It appeared that Turkey systematically and methodically continues to produce and reproduce aggression and expansionist policies against Cyprus.
Unfortunately, during this period of time it has not only remained intransigent in its claims of conquest and control, but through a series of fraudulent actions, in the occupied territories and at sea, it has escalated its aggressive stance and is constantly devising new challenges. The declaration of a pseudo-state - completely contrary to the essence of a sincere federal solution. The continuous, quantitative and qualitative reinforcement of the occupying troops and its grip of coercion on the occupied territories and Cyprus as a whole. The systematic transfer of settlers from Turkey which has brought about a serious alteration of the population and social structure in the occupied territories. The recent invention of the audaciously expansionist 'blue homeland' theory and the pursuit of the expropriation of Cyprus' undersea natural resources. The threats to colonise Famagusta...All these examples of behaviour and intentions should keep us alert and vigilant. First it demanded and imposed a federal solution, but then it showed that even that would not be enough to satiate its appetites, as it proved that it is essentially seeking, either through a federal regime or otherwise, to control the whole of Cyprus. First it practised mass colonisation, eliminating the Turkish Cypriot community in the occupied territories, and now it does not hesitate to instrumentalise the refugee crisis, to stir up human suffering and need and systematically attempts to alter the demographic structure in the free areas through human flows.
But in the face of this difficult and gloomy international situation, we remain committed to principles and reaffirm our political struggle for the liberation of the occupied territories, the lifting of the occupation and the creation of a united, free and democratic European country, on the basis of the principles and rules of the great family of the European Union. We will persevere, however long it takes and however great efforts or even sacrifices may seem necessary. Because we are not abandoning the occupied territories, nor are we forgetting the sacrifice of the fighters of 1974. Because we do not give up the right to see a homeland worthy of our struggles and history, a united homeland that fully guarantees human rights and civil liberties, in conditions of security and peace, for all legal inhabitants, Greek and Turkish Cypriots.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would add from the perspective of the Minister of Education that education has a very essential role to play and is absolutely necessary for the cultivation of both modern citizenship and awareness of international law, the status of a free citizen of a democratic open society, as well as historical self-awareness and national identity. We want to see our school shaping free democratic citizens with the knowledge, skills and resources for complex and critical thinking. Citizens with the historical and national consciousness of a Greek, but also of a citizen of the Republic of Cyprus, who at the same time and by extension is a conscious European citizen. It is our duty, in the face of the sacrifice of those who died in 1974, to prove that the freedom and the will we have thanks to them are used by handing over to society young citizens with values and ideals, with a commitment to freedom and human rights, with respect for others and for diversity, with love for their homeland and a deep appreciation for freedom. Citizens who, out of love for their country and the values of the modern world and out of respect for human beings, will be able and will strive to defend the rule of law, democracy, justice and the rights of all. Citizens who will bring to life every day, on the basis of clear and non-negotiable principles, a democratic and free rule of law. That is the Republic of Cyprus for which all the heroes and heroes of Aglantzia for whom we honour gave their lives.
Compatriots,
Every commemoration event for the fallen, the missing and all other victims of the Turkish invasion, apart from paying due tribute and expressing our gratitude for their contribution, has this meaning: A commitment that we will continue our unabated efforts and political struggle to resist the dangerous expansionism that Turkey continues to project and to persistently demand a peaceful resolution of the Cyprus problem on the basis of international law through a workable solution, always in accordance with the standards of a member state of the European Union. A solution that will put a definitive end to the occupation and the presence of occupying troops, guarantees or any invasive rights, guaranteeing human rights and individual freedoms for all Cypriots, creating conditions of security and peace.
It is in this way that the efforts and sacrifices of those who heroically fought to repel the Turkish invasion or were victims of Turkish brutality and cruelty, as well as those who in the past fought and sacrificed for freedom, will be truly vindicated.
Gratefully, the State honours the martyrs of Aglantzia in 1974.
And we here today assure you that their memory will be eternal.
(BG/EXP)
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