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- Ελληνικά
At a time when we are called upon to tread difficult paths to secure the present and future of our country, to create hope and prospects for the entire Cypriot people, it is with a strong and unquestioning sense of national pride that we stand today in the Holy Church of St. George to pay due tribute to the heroes-fighters of EOKA of the Municipality of Paralimni.
Today we remember and honour the worthy children of Paralimni, who did not hesitate for a moment to put their own lives at the disposal of the homeland, in the struggle for the longed-for freedom.
The struggle they gave is remembered throughout time, not only today, in order to inspire and morally strengthen Cypriot Hellenism, so that it can overcome the difficulties it is going through, maintaining first and foremost universal unity and unanimity. Those who were wanted, political prisoners, people sentenced to imprisonment, people who hosted fighters in their homes and many others who contributed in their own way to the work of EOKA, PEKA and ANE.
And I want to express my admiration because here in heroic Paralimni, despite multiple attacks and intense action against the English occupiers, there were no human losses. All activities in the area were planned with great care and detail and operations were always carried out successfully. It was no coincidence that the British conquerors described the region as a "triangle of terror".
The intense fighting activity of the region and its success is the most glorious monument of devotion to the sacred struggle for freedom since the Paralimnians, regardless of their ideological beliefs, enthusiastically embraced the effort for national self-determination and, as a natural consequence, supported the struggle and actions of EOKA with unanimity.
The first small nucleus of Paralimnians who were initiated into EOKA took place in the house of Anorthosis, in the presence of the militant Antonis Papadopoulou, when the late Grigoris Afxentiou was the section leader of Famagusta. Apart from the constant meetings and actions that took place at the Famagusta House, the Paralimni fighters also participated in training exercises under the stands of the G.S.E. stadium.
The Paralimni fighters, anonymous and nameless, knew that freedom is won with sacrifices, even of their own lives. We remember today those who bequeathed to us the heavy duty of continuing the struggle until the final vindication of our homeland, until the blessed day of reunification, and the preservation of collective memory on our island.
From the first founding members of the EOKA group in Paralimni, Koco Evangellou, Demosthenes Katsouris and Loizos Loozidis, to the women of Paralimni who contributed decisively to the struggle at all levels, to the flag bearer in the struggle against the occupiers, the late Tasos Markos, the list of heroes is long and glorious, like their deeds and struggles, their achievements.
The struggle and sacrifices of the Fighters of EOKA led to what is most precious to us, they led to the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus, our homeland, where the wounds of the Turkish invasion and the ongoing occupation have, unfortunately, remained open for 49 years.
We live and experience them every day, you can see them every morning here in Paralimni. The refugees, the missing, the trapped, the illegal occupation and the violation of the human rights of the Cypriot people continue and remain the most resounding reminder of the historical debt we owe for the liberation and reunification of our homeland. A historical debt that resonates through the heroism and sacrifice of all those we honour today. We therefore have a moral obligation not to compromise with the occupation, and this must be our promise to the future generations of our country.
It is precisely in this context that we are working on the basis of a specific plan and design, so that we can achieve the lifting of the deadlock and the resumption of the talks that will lead us to the resolution of the Cyprus problem, always on the basis of the relevant UN resolutions and the principles and values of the EU. Despite the difficulties, despite the problems, despite the negative developments in our region, we are optimistic that, yes, we will achieve the goal of resuming the talks from where they were interrupted in the summer of 2017.
The eternal example of the EOKA fighters, the purest and most heroic struggle in this land, is an eternal duty and responsibility, an obligation, but above all, it is the measure that defines the true measure of man, the measure of freedom.
By this measure we will all be judged by the fighters of Paralimni, by history, by the generations that will come to this land.
Our vision for the reunification and liberation of Cyprus is determined by the valour, heroism and sacrifices of the heroic generation of 1955-59.
Our vision for the reunification and liberation of Cyprus is determined by the valour, heroism and sacrifices of the heroic generation of 1955-59. May their memory be eternal.
(PM/MB)
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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