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- Ελληνικά
"For the great, for the free, for the brave, for the strong... words are fitting the great, the free, the brave, the strong, for them tears... and olive branches..." [N. ENGONOPOULOS].
Honorable Minister of Culture and Sports Mrs. Lina Mendoni,
Your Excellency Ambassador of the Republic of Cyprus in Athens,
Esteemed Priesthood,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
In the course of history, crossroads meet sacrifices that do not fit into the norm of human reason. Sacrifices that embody the pulse of unswerving faith and unquenchable passion for the supreme good of freedom. They encounter stories of men who, with purity of soul, like a fluent light, fought and fell for their principles and ideals. It is on such days, dear ones, that Hellenism, in every corner of the earth, is filled with feelings of awe and pride, inspired by the highlights of the National Struggles of 1821 and 1955.
Tomorrow Cyprus will celebrate the anniversary of April 1, which marks the beginning of a titanic struggle. A day a symbol of honour and remembrance that serves as a beacon and guide for future generations.
It was then that the wakeful trumpet echoed from the Archbishopric marking the beginning of the struggle for liberation.
It was then that the brave fighters of the H.O.K.A., genuine descendants of the heroic army of 1821, took up arms and threw themselves into the struggle with the ideal 'FREEDOM or DEATH' as their compass, which charted the new historical path for the island and its people. It is no coincidence that many fighters of the H.O.K.A. chose for their pseudonyms the names of fighters of the Greek revolution.
The words of George Seferis are an omen. A premonition two years before the beginning of the uprising of the liberation struggle 1955-59. "It doesn't take long for the wheat to sprout, it doesn't take long for the leaven of bitterness to swell". Yes, "these bodies made of one soil" had souls [GEORGIOS SEFERIS]. The cruel colonial yoke revived the yeast of the feeling of injustice and oppression. It "boiled the neck of Cyprus" [GEORGIOS SEFERIS] and pressed on the soul of every Greek, turning it into a torrent of rebellion as the predetermined fate dictated. And the battles from Machairas, Mersinaki, Liopetri, become worthy of Marathon, Thermopylae, Salamis, Gravia and Alamana.
It was something of a miracle. An uprising, the fruit of the deepest sigh of the Cypriot people for freedom and justice, which threw into battle countless children, turning them into living symbols of the liberation effort. People of all kinds, women and men, middle-aged and old, composed with them the palette of that universal struggle, despising the superiority of the British military forces, defying any danger, torture or humiliation of the human condition.
Because Cypriot Hellenism knew well that freedom is not given away but conquered, that it is won through sacrifices and struggles.
Because Cypriot Hellenism knew well that freedom is not given away but conquered, that it is won through sacrifices and struggles. The "fine lads" of Cyprus, the heroes who faced the gallows at the dawn of their lives, climbed step by step towards immortality, winning a place in the pantheon of heroes. Their sacrifice, their bravery and self-denial became a symbol of struggle and hope, bequeathing timeless messages against any force of oppression and deprivation of freedoms. Assyrians, Egyptians, Persians, Venetians, Franks, Turks, all have envied and attempted to subjugate this crossroads of civilizations, the jewel of the Mediterranean. As George Seferis aptly points out, 'It is unimaginable how loyal they remained to themselves and how insignificantly the various masters washed away from them'. The Cypriot people have neither lost nor forgotten their Greek identity. Its unyielding strength to preserve its cultural heritage over the centuries is a living testimony to its 'resistance', a living narrative of its pride and dignity and its conviction that it is an integral part of Hellenism.
Today, our memory shakes us and reminds us that on this golden-green cape of the Mediterranean, the people resisted, giving to this long-suffering island what they have conquered most precious: their freedom after millennia and the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
Nevertheless, the reality of a divided Cyprus remains a bitter truth, which is faced every day as one gazes at Pentadactyl, our occupied Kyrenia, Famagusta, Morphou, Karpasia and the Apostle Andrew. We are already counting 69 years since the beginning of the EOKA struggle, while this summer marks half a century since the black summer of '74.
Sensing the weight of our historical responsibility, the Government of Nikos Christodoulides is resolutely moving forward with the reunification of the homeland as its main objective, making tireless efforts to achieve this goal. And the aim is to contribute constructively to the creation of all those conditions that will contribute directly to the resumption of negotiations for the settlement of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the UN Security Council resolutions. For a solution that will reunite and create conditions for the development and prosperity of the entire island and its people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots alike. A solution that will enhance stability and security in the wider region and that will allow our country to fully exploit its potential and prospects.
The very important development of the appointment of the UN Secretary General's envoy to Cyprus - as a result of the Government's persistent efforts, with the full cooperation of Greece and our partners in the European Union - the personal interest of the UN Secretary General himself, the attention given to the issue by the European Union itself, and the interest of the international community, leaves room for hope that this long-standing impasse will be resolved.
It raises the hope that there will be a constructive and productive discussion, which will create the conditions for resuming the talks from where they left off in 2017 in Crans-Montana, Switzerland. Talks whose sole objective will be a viable, final settlement of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of a bizonal bicommunal federation with political equality aligned, on European principles and values.
Ladies and gentlemen,
The imprint of the uprising, a testimony to the human spirit that refuses to succumb, is a reminder of the value of self-denial and sacrifice on the path to the conquest of freedom... For "the earth has no bark to take it on its shoulder and run away...". The memory of the struggle of those who dared to rise above temporal life and sacrifice themselves for their country by chanting the heroic: "Freedom or Death" will live forever as a source of inspiration and a reminder of the value of sacrifice for ideals that transcend individual existence.
We will continue to believe and envision a rule of law in which human rights, principles and values are fully guaranteed. For this is what our ancestors, fighters and heroes deserve. Because this is what befits future generations: a homeland free from occupation and the line of partition.
Honour and glory to the fighters of EOKA!
(EFYS/NYAN)
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