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- Ελληνικά
It is with feelings of deep emotion that I stand before you today, representing the President of the Republic Mr.Nikos Christodoulides.
This year marks 50 years of occupation, as a result of the brutal Turkish invasion of 1974.
Half a century of pain and countless wounds, with our country remaining divided, still experiencing the consequences of the invasion and occupation and struggling for justice for the thousands of refugees, the dead, the missing, the claim for the basic freedoms and human rights of freedom, peace, freedom of movement, democracy in a country without an occupying army.
We are also here to remember and honour the fallen heroes of Ayia Napa, Giannakis Pappoullis and Christakis Pieris Christou. Two heroes who lost their lives during the Turkish invasion, defending the freedom of our Cyprus, and who fought until their last breath courageously against the Turkish invaders.
Christakis Pieris Christou of Pieris and Fostiras was born in Ayia Napa on 16 October 1956 and was the last of the three children of a farming family. [BRP] In January 1974 he joined the National Guard and the coup and the invasion found him serving his time in Bogazi, in the 399 Infantry Battalion.
The second phase of the Turkish invasion found him on the front line of the battle in the area of Mias Milia.
On 14 August 1974 he was captured by the Turks in Voni along with 37 other Greek Cypriots.
For 37 years his fate was unknown until his remains were found in a mass grave located in an area of the Turkish Cypriot village of Beikioi. In April 2005 they were identified by DNA.
Giannakis Pappoullis was born in Ayia Napa on 14 September 1954. He is the eldest son of Antonis and Charalambos and has another sister, Maria.
The invasion finds Giannakis serving in the 211 Infantry Battalion, in the area of Agios Pavlos behind the Hippodrome. With the start of fighting in the area on the morning of July 20, Yannakis, along with his fellow soldiers, fights courageously and stubbornly against Attila's hordes.
In the interval between the first and second invasion, the hero responded immediately to the call of his commander, who asked for volunteers to undertake the dangerous task of digging trenches and trenches with the Turks lurking at 500 meters.
On Friday, August 16, the third day of the second phase of the invasion, Yiannakis Pappoullis died during Attila's great air attack.
Ladies and gentlemen,
We bow before their courage and self-denial.
The sacrifice of Christos Pieris Christos and Giannakis Pappoullis, but also the sacrifice of all those who watered the land of our homeland with their blood, is a guiding beacon of patriotism and a source of inspiration for us all to follow the path that leads to peace and freedom.
We owe it to our heroes, but also to our children, to the future generations of our country to remain committed to the ideals of freedom and democracy and with a high spirit and sense of duty, to continue to work for a free, reunited, modern European state, which will respect and guarantee the human rights and security of all its citizens, Greek Cypriots, Turkish Cypriots, Maronites, Armenians and Latins.
The President of the Republic Mr. Nicos Christodoulides has been working tirelessly from the very first moment to make this possible, aiming for a solution to the Cyprus problem on the basis of the agreed framework, on the basis of the European acquis, with a viable and functional solution for all the legitimate inhabitants of the country, taking initiatives at every level.
The current state of affairs is in no way a solution. There is no room for complacency, nor for oblivion. Despite the difficulties, despite the challenges from the Turkish side, the Government, with a high sense of responsibility, has placed the Cyprus problem at the top of its priorities.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ensuring a peaceful, democratic and free future for all citizens of Cyprus concerns all of us. And the goal becomes more attainable when we are united.
Our voice is strong when there is unity in the face of national goals and our long history proves it.
Stronger, with national unity and wiser, keeping our historical memory authentic and clear to instructively illuminate our present and our future.
We owe it to the heroes we commemorate today, and to all those who dedicated their lives for this country, to do justice to their struggles and their sacrifice for freedom, peace, democracy and vindication.
May their memory be eternal.
(MΘ/EATH/NZ)
Contents of this article including associated images are belongs to PIO
Views & opinions expressed are those of the author and/or PIO
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