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- Ελληνικά
"[...] "And I have been denied the first of my ancestors"
Pericles pointed out in his famous Epitaph speech, which he delivered after the first year of the Peloponnesian War to honor the first fallen Athenian soldiers, and which is preserved and quoted in his "History" by Thucydides.
"t is just and right at such a time", continues the ancient Greek statesman and general, "to offer them the honour of remembrance."
"For from generation to generation they themselves have always lived in our land and thanks to their bravery, they have delivered it to us free. Praise is fitting for our ancestors, but even greater for our fathers. They labored to add to those they inherited what power and strength they left us [...]".
It is with deep emotion and national pride that I am present with you today, on behalf of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, on the day of the feast of the Assumption of the Virgin Mary, in the heroic village of Milikouri, the community that raised brave fighters and the birthplace of the close associate of Chief Digenis, Antonis Georgiades, to unveil his bust.
We pay tribute and express an eternal message of respect and immense gratitude for his rich activity, both during the liberation struggle of EOKA and during his later career, since he was a respectable citizen and a model of conscientious philanthropy, humility, dignity and humanity who worked and acted in the close circle of the Chief of EOKA's associates.
Today, at this meeting of history, we will reflect on the ideals, principles and values with which Antonis Georgiades was nurtured and attempt to draw messages from the immortal ideas that inspired him, which, despite the ravages of time, remain emphatically present and necessary to this day.
The worthy scion of the peripatetic community of Milikourion, throughout his life was a great and energetic model of patriotism and self-denial. He was a special Greek, an active patriot, a brilliant fighter, an exponent of the ideals, values and immortal ideas of Hellenism.
Antonis Georgiades, despite his active participation in the glorious struggle of his generation, did not seek to reap laurels of glory.
He did not claim credit for his contribution to his country. He did not exploit his position in the struggle for his own benefit.
President Makarios honoured him by appointing him Minister of Transport and Works of the interim government during the transitional period. When Antonis Georgiades disagreed on governance issues, he left voluntarily, and with great humility, a few months after his appointment.
He went to Germany where he completed his studies and subsequently deliberately avoided getting involved in the political life of the country. For the rest of his life, until the last moment, he walked with ethics, dignity, humanity and patience.
He deliberately maintained an attitude of deliberate, deafening silence, so that his participation, his role and his contribution to the struggle and to the common good did not receive the extent that was truly due.
He was a distinguished and ardent freedom fighter.
He was a distinguished and ardent freedom fighter. A great man with a unique personality.
His personality was shaped by his early inculcation with Greek Christian ideals and his endless love for Greece.
After completing his studies at the Greek Gymnasium of Paphos, he studied theology at the Theological School of Halki.
He was one of the first to join EOKA.
He was one of the first to join EOKA. In September 1955 he was arrested and transferred to Kokkinotrimithia Detention Centre, where he was imprisoned until 19 January 1956, when, after a well-organized operation, together with Polycarpos Yiorkatzis and three other fighters, they achieved the first of a total of four successful escapes carried out by fighters in the detention centre.
After his escape he climbed the mountain and took over the leadership of the guerrilla groups of the area of Milikourion - Geraki - Pedoulas until June 1956.
Subsequently and until the end of the struggle he served quietly and methodically at the side of Chief Digenis. He spent his entire life just as quietly and methodically.
Ladies and gentlemen,
"Those who feel the copper hand heavy with fear
let them have the yoke of slavery",
our poet Andreas Kalvos submits to us in the saying engraved on the community's heroes' monument.
"Freedom needs virtue and courage".
"She [...] has feathered Icarus;
and though he who was winged fell and was wounded;
he fell from on high, and died free [...]".
Antonis Georgiades, like most of the generation of the epic struggle of '55-'59, embodied this radiant, mutually interwoven triad of words of the "Eis Samon" ode of the Zakynthian poet Andreas Kalvos.
Three words that have guided the fate of the Greeks for centuries.
Virtue, Courage and Freedom.
Through their attitude to life they teach us and invite us to embrace the obvious. That freedom, as the supreme human good, cannot be given away. On the contrary, it is acquired with deliberation, reflection, deprivation, toil, sacrifice, struggle, determination and self-denial.
And it is a great mistake to think that the courageous, the brave men of 55 - '59 were unaware of the danger when they consciously took the oath and joined the struggle for the liberation and self-determination of Cyprus.
When they consciously put above any personal desire and benefit the inner responsibility and duty they felt towards their country, its people and its history.
They knew exactly the danger. They fully understood the stakes. They fully felt the fear.
This awareness, the awareness of the difficult reality and the excessive risk makes them special, particular, chosen.
As Calvos teaches us, Icarus' wax wings may have melted and he may have drowned in the sea, but from above he fell and "died free" and not enslaved and disgraced.
Ladies and gentlemen,
Being in Millikouri, we become receptive to the historically charged aura of the heroic community. We become recipients of the life-giving power and breath of the venerable and venerable Holy Basilica and Cruciferous Monastery of Our Lady of Kykkos, where today, on the day of the Assumption, the faithful come to receive its blessing.
The memory inevitably goes back to the events of March 11, 1957, when the community was placed under forced house arrest by the colonial authorities in an attempt to arrest Digenis. They suffered untold suffering for 54 long days, but the residents of Millikurion did not bend. They faced the situation with proverbial patience and fortitude.
We recall the bus that ran the Milikouri - Kykkos - Xeros - Morphou - Nicosia line, which, as it passed through the villages, the charity and solidarity of Cypriots loaded it with all kinds of food and supplies for the inhabitants of the isolated mountain community. The unanimous, united and enthusiastic participation of the inhabitants in the struggles of our country is a testimony of virtue and selfless offer. The unfailing heroic sacrifice of its children, as a preacher, calls for the continuation of our struggle for the lifting of the occupation, for the liberation and reunification of our homeland.
This is the focus of our efforts as a government today. To enable the lifting of the deadlock and the resumption of the talks process, with the ultimate goal of reaching a just, viable and workable solution to the Cyprus problem.
A solution that will allow all the legitimate inhabitants of Cyprus to live together in security, justice and equality.
The sacred example of Antonis Georgiades and all the heroes of 55-59, who stood up to the mighty British Empire and tamed the steep hillsides of Cyprus, is a wake-up call and a struggle to reverse the current unacceptable situation and a beacon of light indicating the course we must follow.
His bust will symbolize the eternal appreciation of Cypriot Hellenism for him and will at the same time be an everlasting witness of his heroic deeds during the national liberation struggle of 1955 - 1959.
With these thoughts and with excessive emotion, we will soon hand over the bust of Antonis Georgiades to the light. I hope it will be a source of fortitude, strength and endurance until the holy hour when we lift the occupation, close the unhealed wounds of the Turkish invasion and lay the foundations for freedom in our country.
Until then, we pledge that we will not abandon our mission to protect what is in danger and to claim what belongs to us.
Honor and glory to Antonis Georgiades.
Honor and glory to Antonis Georgiades. Worthy.
Thank you.
(OP/EXP)
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