Distinguished representatives of parliamentary parties,
Distinguished Commissioner for the Environment,
Honorable Director General of the Ministry of Agriculture, Rural Development and Environment,
Honorable Mayor of Ora,
Honorable members of the Ora Community Council,
Honorable Presidents of the communities of the Honey Roads,
Honorable Mr. Deputy Governor of the Rotary District of Cyprus,
Honorable representatives of the Rotary Clubs of Cyprus,
Ladies and gentlemen,
Two pleasant and important occasions led us today to the Honey Roads, in the heart of beautiful mountainous Larnaca: The completion of the rehabilitation works of the main part of the irrigation network of the Oras Linous water reservoir and the organization of the Oras Bee Festival.
The unveiling of the plaque for the completion of the project and the opening of the Bee Festival are two important events that symbolize and summarize the inseparable relationship between bees and water, the harmonious coexistence of which is vital for the future of the planet and humanity.
Last summer's deadly fires completely destroyed the irrigation network and with it the flora and fauna of the region, including the precious workers of life, the bees. Rotary Clubs of Cyprus, with the financial support of Rotary International and the Rotary Foundation's Disaster Response Fund, as other workers of life, voluntarily undertook the important task of restoring the network. As a result, water has returned to the land of Ora, relieving the flora and fauna, as well as the people of the communities in the area.
Among the beneficiaries of the restoration are the bees, to which 20 May, the annual World Bee Day, is dedicated annually. As we know, bees are nature's most important pollinators, contributing directly and beneficially to the preservation of our planet's fragile ecosystems, as well as to the health and well-being of humans.
"If the bees are lost, life on earth will be lost," Einstein's words are more relevant today than ever before. The climate and environmental crisis threatens human activity, our health and ecosystems worldwide, from the forests of Siberia and the Arctic to the forests of Australia, the Mediterranean and Cyprus. By protecting bees, we preserve the delicate balances of our planet's life ecosystem, we preserve human life.
The motto of this year's World Bee Day: "Bee Engaged" urgently emphasizes the value of participatory and cooperative action by states, organizations, research and educational institutions, organized associations in Europe and the world and each of us individually for the necessary protection of bees. For active action to be possible, however, knowledge and awareness are essential, and this is precisely the purpose of the festival we are opening today.
After two difficult years for all of us, the Ora Community Council, with the State Ministry of Tourism as main sponsor and under the auspices of the House of Representatives, is once again organizing the established bee festival, giving all of us the opportunity to get to know the great work of beekeepers and producers of hive products. We all have much to learn from these close and valuable partners of bees about ways to improve their survival conditions, which is a prerequisite for the survival of the planet and humanity.
In closing, I would like to express my sincere thanks to all those involved in today's double celebration, the community leader and the Ora Community Council for the beautiful and important initiative of organizing the festival, as well as to the Rotary Clubs of Cyprus for their valuable patronage.
Most of all, I would like to express my immense gratitude to all the participants and exhibitors at the festival for the great and blessed life work they are engaged in, the protection of bees, the defence of life itself.
(Text as sent from the House of Representatives)
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