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Plenary Session of the Parliament, Thursday, 28 March 2024
Ladies and gentlemen,
Before the order of business, I would like to express my deepest sorrow and dismay at the brutal terrorist attack last Friday by armed Islamists on a concert venue in Moscow, which sadly left at least 139 people dead and more than 180 injured.
Such acts of wanton violence targeting innocent civilians and victimizing civilians, women and young children are reprehensible and in stark contrast to the universal human values of peace, justice, tolerance and humanity.
The House of Representatives condemns in the strongest terms the bloody attack in Moscow, as well as all heinous acts of blind hatred and extremist violence, wherever they may come from. We express our sincere condolences to all those affected by this heinous attack.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I would also like to mention the death of the great actor, director and theatre teacher Nikos Charalambous, who passed away on 23 March at the age of 82.
A modest personality, a pioneer and a conscious artist, Nikos Charalambous with his theatrical productions marked an entire era for the Cypriot theatre and created his own "school" in terms of his approach to ancient drama. As a director, he staged about two hundred plays, some of which were presented, beyond the stages of Cyprus, Greece and Germany, in Moscow, New York, Zurich, Rome, Paris, London, London, Vienna, Tbilisi, Petersburg and beyond. Particular mention should be made of the characteristic coupling of ancient myth and Cypriot drama in his works, through which he projected the tragedy of 1974 in Greece and abroad. With the historic performance of Icetides, which was first presented in Cyprus in 1978, he introduced the Cyprus Theatre Organisation to the famous Epidaurus Festival in 1980, where the performance captivated the audience in a unique way.
Multi-awarded as an actor and as a director, serving the theatre with dedication and ethics, Nikos Charalambous left our Cyprus a valuable cultural legacy. On behalf of the Parliament, I express my sincere condolences to his family and loved ones.
Ladies and gentlemen,
It is with feelings of national pride and emotion that in a few days we will commemorate April 1, the historic moment when the Cypriot Hellenism started the liberation struggle 1955-1959, with the vision of self-determination and union with Greece. Pure, simple people of the peasantry, young, young children, left the tools of their trade and school books and, "as if ready for a long time", shouted "present", "present" in the struggle for the ideals of freedom, homeland, justice, the struggle against slavery and subjugation to the then powerful British Empire.
The fighters were persecuted, blackmailed, threatened, tortured, but they did not bend. Nurtured by national ideals, they took up arms for the love of country and nation, displayed unprecedented courage and daring and stuck their necks out against the conquerors' armed and numerical superiority. At the same time, the contribution of Cypriot women was invaluable, who, defying danger, distributed leaflets, hid and transported arms and mail, offered shelter to the fighters in their homes, but, most importantly, gave their children, brothers, sisters, fathers and husbands a painful sacrifice on the altar of freedom.
Cypriot fighters and Cypriot women fighters of the Liberation Struggle wrote glorious pages in the book of modern Cypriot history. The birth, one year later, of the Republic of Cyprus is the culmination of their selfless contribution. However, sixty-five years after the end of the EOKA struggle, the sacrifices of our heroes remain unjustified. Cyprus is the only divided country in Europe because of Turkey's intransigent attitude and unreasonable demands. We are called upon to be worthy of the sacrifice of our heroes and to continue the struggle for the justification and reunification of our long-suffering homeland, with the aim of ending the Turkish occupation, within the framework of a mutually comprehensive, acceptable, just and viable solution, in accordance with the resolutions of the UN Security Council, without occupying troops and without foreign guarantees. We must work together to ensure a free and reunited Cyprus, a truly independent state with full application of European and international law.
Ladies and gentlemen,
I call on you to observe a one-minute silence in memory of the victims of the terrorist attack in Russia, as well as in memory of Nikos Charalambous and the heroes of the 1955-1959 liberation struggle.
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