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- Ελληνικά
It is with a feeling of deepest emotion that I am here today at the Holy Church of Saint Barbara in the coastal village of Kaimakli, only a few kilometres away from the occupied Omorphita, to pay the required tribute to the Heroes of Omorphita and to pray for the fate of the missing of this martyred community.
Martyrdom because the community of Omorphita was present in all the struggles of the recent history of our country. First, during the purest struggle of our people, the national liberation struggle of EOKA, when the British colonialists created in the community the largest interrogation centre from which dozens of fighters of the organisation passed and suffered torture. The community was then targeted by the extremist Turkish organisation TMT, whose activities included, among other things, looting and destroying the homes and property of the residents of Omorphita, with many being forced to leave their homes to save themselves. The criminal activity of TMT culminated in the summer of 1958 with the murders of Loukas Arrestis and Pantelis Christou, while from the same summer the fate of Stelios Andreou remains unknown to this day.
Significant was also the price paid with human lives by the blood-soaked Omorphita during the Turkish mutiny of 1963 when the community became a target of the insurgents and, in particular, the TURPDYK. In the fierce battles that took place, Charalambos Spyrou, Michalakis Kythraiotis and Andreas Michail lost their lives. The most tragic aspect of the events of December 1963, however, was the murder of two young children of Omorphita: eleven-year-old Giorgoula Venizelos of Charalambos and fifteen-year-old George Psara of Nikos, who died under Turkish fire. Shortly afterwards, the name of Andreas Petrou was added to the list of the community's missing persons, who was kidnapped on 4 February 1964 and his fate is still unknown today.
The tragic story, however, of Omorphita and its inhabitants was not to end on the black Christmas of 1963. During the tragic events of the summer of 1974, the community once again paid a heavy price with the sacrifice of ordinary people who gave their lives defending the freedom, democracy and territorial integrity of our country.
Sotiris Achilleos of Ambrosius was killed during the air raid of the 286th Mechanized Infantry Battalion of the Turkish Air Force at Konteno, on 20 July 1974.
Zenon Zenonos of Panayiotis, a 16-year-old student of the Pancyprian Gymnasium, who at the beginning of the Turkish invasion volunteered to help the soldiers of the 211 Infantry Battalion, was killed fighting on 21-22 July 1974 at the outposts of the front line in Omorphita-Neapolis.
Georgios Skoufaris of Kostas while serving with the 211 Infantry Battalion was mortally wounded on 2 August 1974 by a Turkish mortar while operating an anti-aircraft gun in the building of the Cyprus Telecommunications Authority, near the Markos Drakos statue.
With the beginning of the Turkish invasion and the declaration of general conscription, Charilaos Mikheos joined the 201 Infantry Battalion and fell fighting during the battles of Agios Georgios Kyrenia.
Michael Michael Michael of Nikola fell fighting on 21 July 1974 in the battles of White Muttis.
Gregory Nikolaou who was missing for many years and his remains were found in a mass grave in Mia Milia and identified by DNA.
Also victims of the Turkish invader were Vaso Sokratous of Georgiou and Savas Charalambous of Theocharis, as well as Kyriakos Varnavas who died during an exchange of fire during the traitorous coup of 15 July 1974.
The list of the Community's missing persons from the 1974 Turkish invasion is also long: Evangelos Epaminondas of Georgios, Kostakis Iakovidis of Andreas, Eudoros Ioannidis of Christakis, Marios Nikolaou of Vassos, Panagiotis Panagiotou of Michalakis, Georgios Charalambous of Artemios, Charalambos Georgiou of Artemios, Giannakos Macias of Neophytos and Kyriakos Petrou.
Honouring our heroes is a due duty and the minimum return of the State, but also of the Society, for their offer and sacrifice to the homeland. Today, far more than ever before, we owe them honor in the performance of a national debt and the rendering of due gratitude. Almost half a century after the Turkish invasion, 60 years after the events of '63-'64, and despite the frustrations, challenges and difficulties, we are striving to achieve a viable and workable solution based on the European acquis and the relevant United Nations resolutions. A solution that will liberate and reunite our small and martyred homeland, end the Turkish occupation and allow all the Cypriot people to fully benefit from the prospects of a reunited homeland, an EU Member State.
As President of the Republic of Cyprus, as someone who was born and raised with Not Forgetting, I want to use today's opportunity to reiterate my readiness to resume negotiations from where they were interrupted in 2017. In this context, I welcome the decision of the United Nations Secretary-General, in response to our call from the first day of my assumption of office, to appoint a personal envoy in an effort to resume the dialogue on the basis of the agreed framework.
Undoubtedly, the challenges we face are diverse and multilayered, and require from all of us seriousness, responsibility and, above all, unity and unity of purpose. I firmly believe that it is the desire and the highest priority of all of us to see our country liberated and reunited through a solution that safeguards the human rights and basic freedoms of all the legitimate inhabitants of this land. In this effort, no one is left out - and I truly hope and expect the support of all political parties in addition to society - since the struggle to end the occupation, to end the current unacceptable status quo, which cannot be the future of our country, I want to believe is common.
Our effort and struggle is the effort and struggle of all those who believe in the ideals of freedom, democracy, European principles and values. At the same time, we must hand over to our children a free and peaceful homeland, a homeland that inspires security and confidence so that they can plan their future with optimism and hope.
In order to be able to achieve all this, we have an obligation and a duty to exemplify the virtues, the pure ideals and the sacrifices of our heroes. It is, moreover, our moral duty to preserve the national dignity that all of them bequeathed to us through their sacrifice.
Eternal be their memory.
(PM/NZ/ASP)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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