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It is with feelings of deep emotion and pride that I stand among you today to honour the heroic fallen of the Community of Alhambra and to pray for our missing children. For fifty years, Cypriots everywhere have commemorated and paid tribute to every soldier who fell for the freedom and independence of the Republic of Cyprus. We reverently bow our heads before the greatness of their sacrifice and pledge to continue the struggle until the final vindication.
For five decades the Cypriot people have lived with the tragic consequences left behind by that black summer of 1974. Half a century later, we are still experiencing the consequences of the violent uprooting, the dispossession of our ancestral homes, the stealing of our cultural heritage, the ongoing violation of our fundamental rights and freedoms, the loss of our loved ones, the unquenchable hope for the return of our missing persons. Fifty years later, the chilling sound of the sirens does not let us forget.
Fellow countrymen and women,
Today we honour the heroes of Alhambra who remained loyal to the defence of freedom and democracy. We commemorate the worthy sons of our homeland who in the unequal and unholy battle with the barbaric Attila did not desert and fought to the end, offering their lives for the integrity of our Cyprus. Most of them fell heroically fighting on the defense line of Mias Milia - Koutsoventi during the second phase of the Turkish invasion on August 14, 1974, when the Turkish invaders' bombing broke through the defense of the soldiers of the 305 Infantry Battalion, with the tragic consequence of the death of our heroes.
With feelings of national pride we honour today the heroes Andreas Savvas, Andreas Hadjichristodoulou, Georgios Kyprianou, Nikos Nikolaou, Pantelis Nikiforou, Sophocles George, Stylianos Kyriakou and Sotiris Spyrou Ioannou. At the same time, we offer a prayer for the finding of our missing persons, Agathangelos Lazaros and Michalis Georgiou, who have been missing since that tragic summer of 1974.
Today we commemorate the hero Andreas Georgiou Savvas, 21 years old, a medical student, who abandoned his studies to serve his beloved country with courage and bravery, charting a brilliant and immortal course.
We honour the hero Andreas Pavlou Hadjichristodoulou, a young man of 21, meek and peaceful, who remained steadfast to fight the barbarian invader. With his sacrifice, Andreas was written in the pantheon of the immortals, among the most brilliant personalities of the history of Hellenism.
We honour the hero George George Kyprianou, 25 years old, who fell in battle in the area of Mias Milia - Koutsoventi. He willingly and ethically defended the integrity and democracy and for 41 years his fate was unknown. His only daughter Chryso grew up without her father, awaiting, like his parents, his return. His remains were found in the village of Mora and in 2015 George was buried with hero's honours, just as he should have been. Unfortunately, his parents left with a huge because, without having time to honor their son as he deserved.
We remember Nikos Nikolaou, aged 25, who with greatness of soul did not bend before the Turkish invader, defending our sacred lands. The six bullets he received were not enough to break his fortitude, morality and proud soul. He sacrificed his youth and the life before him and wrote his name in gold letters on the glorious pages of Cypriot history.
We honour the hero Pantelis Nikiforou, 32 years old, a reserve soldier and teacher, who lived and taught the ideals of Hellenism. He fought to the end, with ethos and virtue, teaching all of us by the example of his self-sacrifice the best lesson of philanthropy.
We commemorate the hero Sophocles George, 34 years old and father of three children. Sophocles showed from a very early age that he had been stirred by the values of Hellenism, when at the age of only 17 he was captured by the English conquerors and imprisoned for two years. The hardships he experienced in prison could not deter him in 1974, when his homeland called him again to defend it, to declare his thunderous presence. He took part in the battles at Synchari, Koutsoventi and White Moutti until he was mortally wounded by enemy bombs in the Kolokasidis area, only to leave for eternity to meet Gregory Afxentios and Evagoras Pallikaridis.
We honour the hero Stylianos Kyriakou, 32 years old, a model father and family man, who did not give in to the unequal struggle and fought for the freedom of our Cyprus, leaving his love for his homeland, freedom and democracy as a legacy to his children.
We remember the hero Sotiris Spyrou Ioannou, who at the age of 24, just before he married his beloved Androulla, who was pregnant, put his love for his homeland above all others and made the ideal of independence conscious. These principles, which he learned to honour from a young age, threw him into the hands of the coup plotters and later led him into the ranks of the National Guard, where he fought valiantly and bequeathed to his only son Spyros the supreme honour of having a heroic father.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At the most tragic moment in Cyprus' history, the issue of the missing remains a bleeding wound and does not allow us to give up the effort. Despite the recovery and identification of the remains of many missing persons, we will not be complacent until the last family of a missing person learns of the fate of their loved ones.
The families of Agathangelos Lazarou and Michalis Ilias Georgiou, the brave men of the Alhambra community, are still experiencing their own drama, hoping that their half-century-long ordeal will soon come to an end.
Agathangelos Lazarou, 21 years old, was known for his hard work and altruism. Agathangelos' traces were lost on that black day of 14 August 1974 in the battle against Attila in the area of Mias Milia-Koutsoventi. His father passed away unable to live any longer with the unspeakable longing of anticipation, with an unanswered why tormenting him. His mother, Mrs. Aliasavou, stands and waits ardently for the return of her viscera, sure that one morning her house will be filled with joy again by the coming of her beloved.
The eager young Michalis Elias Georgiou, 28 years old, had graduated from the Department of English and Greek Philosophy of the University of Athens when he responded to the call of his homeland. He joined his unit in Dali and then the 305 Infantry Battalion in Mia Milia. Since then his fate has been unknown. It was with sadness and a huge because in the eyes that Michael's parents and brother passed away. His sister hopes and waits to hold her beloved brother in her arms again.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Fifty years later, the sacrifice of our heroes awaits vindication. We have not and will not give up the effort to resolve the Cyprus problem. With perseverance and dedication, the President of the Republic is working with the sole objectives of removing the fait accompli created by the ongoing illegal occupation, ensuring the basic human rights and freedoms of all legal residents of Cyprus and the reunification of our homeland. With concrete and targeted diplomatic initiatives we envision a Cyprus of justice and democracy, a Cyprus where all legal residents, especially the young people, will live in peace and progress collectively.
The provocative rhetoric, intransigence and the Turkish side's insistence on a two-state solution cannot be accepted either in Cyprus or in the European and international community. The Turkish side must abandon its unacceptable demands and actions and come to the table with a constructive attitude, aiming at a comprehensive and viable settlement of the Cyprus problem.
A solution based on the principles and values of our great European family and international law. A solution that respects the United Nations Security Council Resolutions and creates the conditions that will give all Cypriots the right to live and create in a modern, European, normal state, in conditions of security and progress.
The resumption of dialogue is our primary concern. The Greek Cypriot side, through the President of the Republic, is ready to respond at any time, in a spirit of cooperation, to the call for talks. Our will to find a final and workable solution on the basis of the agreed framework is clear. We expect the Turkish Cypriot side to show a similar willingness to move forward for the sake of our homeland and our people, the European community and the wider Eastern Mediterranean region.
In harmony and consensus, we remain faithful to the lessons of our history and pass on the values and ideals of Hellenism to our children, the successors of our historical identity and culture.
Compatriots,
From this sacred place we declare in every direction our commitment to the reunification of our homeland and its people. We pledge again to our heroes that we will not cease to assert our right and our rights. Only then will their sacrifice be vindicated. We owe it to them and we owe it to future generations of Cypriots.
May the memory that accompanies all those who fell for our freedom be eternal.
(MKE/AS/AF)
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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