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- Ελληνικά
Apostle Andrew Church, Limassol
It is with great emotion and feelings of pride that we are here today, in the modest Church of Apostle Andrew, to honour the memory of the heroic Constable 1641 Andreas Christofides. These are moments that make you reflect on the great importance and value of performing one's duty to one's service and to one's country, moments that make you reflect more intensely and critically on the modern history of Cyprus, to see with the eyes of today the figures who sealed the course of the country with their blood and to realize that many things today are not so self-evident.
Andreas Christofides, the honest and totally loyal to his duty, the 1641 Constable, is such an example of selfless sacrifice for the homeland. Coming from Pano Asbestos, with excellent performance in his Gymnasium years, raised with the ideals and values of our race, he joined the liberation struggle of EOKA from his teenage years. Fearless in nickname, fearless and in character he defied risks and put fear in second place, actively participating in EOKA attacks and actions, always motivated by the desire for freedom and shaking off the colonial yoke.
The fighter Andreas Christofides, with the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, an establishment as a result of the purest struggle of Cypriot Hellenism, the struggle of EOKA, a Cypriot Republic that is the most important thing we have today, at the age of 22, on 23 May 1961, he joined the Cyprus Police Force.
As a member of the Corps, the first divisive tendencies of the Turkish Cypriot community, instigated and led by the terrorist organisation TMT and Turkey itself, found him in 1963. The first aim of the Turkish-led extremist groups was to create a climate of discord, instability and an alleged threat to the Turkish Cypriot community from the Greek Cypriots. The real aim is the destruction and degradation of the Republic of Cyprus.
The coordinated and organized actions by Turkey led to a number of hostilities in several areas of our homeland. Just as it happened in the case of the battle of Agios Sozomenos on 6 February 1964, exactly 60 years ago. It was then that a group of Turkish Cypriots set up an ambush in the village of Agios Sozomenos on a group of civil servants and farmers who were travelling to the area for work purposes. The Turkish Cypriots opened fire on the vehicle and killed the gendarme Andreas Loukas and the farm guard Takis Michael. The clashes, as expected, did not take long to spread, and Greek Cypriots from the surrounding areas ran to defend their compatriots. The fighting was fierce and intense, with casualties on both sides. Andreas Christofides, serving his duty towards the rights of our people, fulfilling his duty faithfully and irrevocably towards his Service, towards the Republic of Cyprus, bravely stood up against the Turkish fire. Unfortunately, he was mortally wounded and is among the fallen of the battle of Agios Sozomenos whose memory we recently commemorated.
The then Chief of Police Haralambos Butcher noted, among other things, in a letter to his father Andreas:
"Your son died fighting heroically in the performance of his duties, fighting and defending the ideal of freedom and the integrity of our Greek homeland, showing unparalleled heroism and self-sacrifice."
The pain is followed by pride and honour for the family and the entire Police Corps. Loss is transformed into an immortal symbol of militancy and loyalty to duty. Andreas Christofides always remains a young, fearless fighter, among the heroes of his country and among the honoured members of the Cyprus Police Force.
And it is our duty and obligation, as part of today's modest ceremony, to remember all the fallen and all the members of the Cyprus Police Force, who sacrificed their lives and their physical integrity in the service of duty. After all, the Cyprus Police Force is the guardian of democracy and the protector of the rights of all Cypriot citizens. Andreas Christofides, like so many other colleagues from the ranks of the Police Corps who have fallen in the line of duty, exemplify the ethics and integrity of the Force over time, to which we as a State express our gratitude and admiration.
Our presence here today is not a formality. As the elected President of the Republic of Cyprus, I dutifully pay tribute to every hero of our homeland, to every genuine fighter who defended and defended the rights of our people, to every citizen who defied risks and self-interest and offered his life to safeguard the democracy, freedom and peace of the land that gave birth to us. That is why today we honour Constable 1641 Andreas Christofides and all those who fell in the battle of Agios Sozomenos, as a sign of recognition of their sacrifice by the State, with feelings of respect and responsibility.
As a Government we have assumed the responsibility of claiming the rights of all citizens of the Republic of Cyprus and, above all, the great struggle for the liberation and reunification of our homeland. Our struggle from the very beginning has been targeted with a specific strategy.
We know very well what we are aiming at. We know very well what we are aiming for. We are working to break Turkish intransigence and create the prospects for the resumption of meaningful talks. And I really believe that, despite the problems and challenges, the appointment of the UN Secretary General's personal envoy, in recognition of our own political will, can indeed lead us to the resumption of negotiations. And we will continue to take initiatives in this direction because we are more interested than anyone else in ending the occupation and reunifying our country.
We cannot be complacent or complacent. With the strength and prestige of the Republic of Cyprus as a member state of the European Union, with initiatives that highlight the role and importance of our country in the region, we will do everything possible to find a viable solution for all the legitimate inhabitants of our homeland. This is our goal and this is what we are working towards.
After all, the hero Andreas Christofides and his fellow fighters are showing us the way. The path of consistency, of stability in our principles, of unfeigned and sacrificial love for our country and fearless zeal in defending the rights of our people.
May their memory be eternal.
(PM/EP/NZ)
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