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"And suddenly the good morning hung
on our lips like a stone.
And suddenly the good morning was wedged
in the teeth of the morning.
[...]
Today, July 15, 1974.
[...]
Evening
and the dead have not yet been counted
and the hatred
and the absurdity has not yet been counted".
On the 15th and 20th of July every year, Cyprus wakes up to the chilling, deafening, sharp sound of the alarm sirens, which every year remind us of the darkest pages of modern Cypriot history and the open, bleeding and unhealed wounds left by the treacherous coup and the brutal Turkish invasion of 1974.
The Cypriot journalist and award-winning literary artist Anthos Lykaύγης, in his poem "Erpysstrikes", refers to the rage, the pain, the anguish, the bitter sigh, the death caused by fratricidal hatred, it stigmatizes the absurdity of the civil strife, and bears witness to the tragic nightmare that on that black July spread over Nicosia and covered the whole of Cyprus.
Through the lines of this poem, the destructive hatred, the fratricidal division and the blind fanaticism of that time are highlighted.
Furthermore, the poem highlights the magnitude of the tragedy and the inability of the protagonists to understand the tragic consequences of the treacherous coup d'état, which was to be the beginning of the most tragic period of history since the establishment of the Republic of Cyprus.
The breakdown of legitimacy in Cyprus gave Turkey the opportunity to present the illegal brutal military invasion of Cyprus as a "peace intervention" to restore constitutional order and protect Turkish Cypriots.
Turkey, implementing its plans for a taqasim, i.e. pure partition of Cyprus, brutally and shamelessly invaded the island, indiscriminately sowing death, destruction, suffering, refugeeism and disintegration.
Sensing, therefore, the magnitude of the tragedy of Cyprus, we return today mentally to the dramatic days of the coup d'état and the Turkish invasion.
The commemoration of the black anniversaries of July and August 1974 is an opportunity to immerse ourselves in the ark of the principles, values and ideals of the Greeks, through which our national identity and our collective historical consciousness were forged and steeled. They are a perpetual reminder of our debt to all our heroes who, by performing their duty to their country to the fullest extent, sacrificed themselves to safeguard the highest ideals of freedom, legality and justice in Cyprus. "[/I]
The popular bard of Cyprus, Dimitris Lipertis, condenses in a few verses the deepest desire and longing of every Greek of Cyprus, who has experienced dozens of subjugations throughout the course and duration of the long history of the island.
The deepest longing for freedom.
The Greeks of Cyprus again long day and night for the cool air of liberation to blow over our enslaved lands. In Kyrenia, Famagusta and in every village and church in our occupied territories.
Greeks,
Our historical collective consciousness is shaped by the interaction of our historical past with the present. Our historical consciousness largely determines our national ideology, our language, our traditions and our historical culture.
Knowledge of our history, therefore, is an essential element, since as a channel of communication with the multidimensional and complex historical past, it interprets aspects of the present and contributes decisively to the shaping of the future.
"History is the light of truth, the witness of the times, the teacher of life", the most eminent Roman philosopher and orator Marcus Cicero submits to us, in order to emphasize the importance of historical knowledge.
Today, then, from the podium of this event on the black anniversaries of 1974, we honour the memory of our fallen warriors and stand by the families of our missing in Greece and Cyprus.
We turn our thoughts to the thousands of refugees, who for 49 years have been deprived of their homes and properties, but also to our interned people, those who did not abandon their homes but chose to remain "rooting" in our occupied land.
It is with pain that we recall the dark events of the history of that black July.
And history remains present and teaches us, reminds us, reflects us, exemplifies us and rationalizes us.
And History does not lapse and does not expire, does not abolish and is not abolished.
And it is recorded as a historical fact that in the early hours of Saturday, 20 July 1974, Cyprus, overwhelmed by the conflicts of the coup d'état, was brutally attacked from the air and from the sea by the fierce military attack of "Attila".
With the neutrality of the great countries of the world in favour of Turkey, the Turkish troops, which were gradually reinforced, mercilessly spread havoc, death and destruction.
Alongside the fighters of the National Guard, who in the summer of 1974 were called upon to repel Turkish aggression and defend the justice and freedom of our people, our brothers and sisters from Eldykari, as well as the cruisers of the 1st Squadron, who arrived on the island with the heroic operation "NIKI", were nourished from the very first moment.
The children of Greece fought bravely, sticking out their chests with inexhaustible heroism in the face of the numerous and armed Turkish soldiers.
As genuine descendants of the heroes of the Nation, they showed unparalleled courage by paying a heavy blood tax in the struggle to defend the holy and sacred places of Hellenism on our island and by writing golden pages of genuine Greek bravery and fighting spirit.
Before the contribution of all these children from Greece and Cyprus who sacrificed themselves defending our homeland, we pay the appropriate tribute and at the same time we reflect on our own responsibility and our own debt towards them and towards History and future generations.
Drawing on all the lessons that history teaches us, we must, with collectivity, unity, a sense of responsibility and unity, be worthy of the struggle and sacrifice of our heroes.
The current distorted situation in Cyprus cannot continue to be the future of our country.
The Turkish occupation cannot be perpetuated.
We know very well that there are many difficulties.
But there is an intention on our part, through an honest process of dialogue, to reach a solution to the Cyprus problem.
A solution to the Cyprus problem that will ensure throughout Cyprus the application of the acquis communautaire, the principles and values of the EU.
A solution that will free Cyprus from the anachronistic system of guarantees and foreign intervention and will ensure the withdrawal of occupying troops and settlers.
A solution that will bring about the lifting of the occupation and allow all legal residents of Cyprus to co-exist free from racist divisions under a regime of equality and isopolitism.
Such a solution will be for the benefit of all.
Until then, we are determined to fight at all costs to protect what is at stake and to claim what belongs to us.
We owe this to all our heroes who paid with their blood for the effort to defend our homeland.
We owe this to future generations.
We owe this to the Cypriot people. To create a future of peace, progress, security and prosperity.
May the memory and glory that will accompany all those who fought for faith and country in all the struggles of our nation or gave their lives in the cause of our freedom be eternal.
Thank you.
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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