It is with
pleasure that I am here with you today to honour the 69th anniversary of the
anti-fascist victory during the Second World War. The great and historically important victory
of free men against Nazi Germany.
I convey to you
the greetings and warm wishes of the President of the Republic Mr Nicos
Anastasiades who, due to other obligations, unfortunately could not be here
with us as he would like.
In a semantic
coincidence, the President of the Republic is not with us today because he is
paying an important visit in today’s democratic, friendly and ally Germany from
which Cyprus expects support and solidarity in order to overcome the big
political and financial problems it faces.
It is, of
course, a happy coincidence that this game of history, namely the fact that the
President of Cyprus, which paid its own heavy, in proportion, price to the hell
that Nazi Germany created against humanity in the Second World War, is being
hosted today in this country as a friend and ally in a joint quest for closer
cooperation and further development of relations and bonds between the two
countries within the framework of a United Europe. This is the result of an ambitious idea and
political courage, but also of the grandeur of the leaders of post-war Europe,
to create strong mechanisms to prevent a similar catastrophic war.
Through the
indescribable horror and unspeakable pain, through the misery and human
impoverishment of that war, the leaders of Europe had the stamina to establish
the European Coal and Steel Community, just seven years since the carnage of
the dead in Hitler’s Germany. Their aim
was to set the production and trade of coal and steel, namely the two main raw
materials of the war industry up until the Second World War, under the joint
management of nations formerly at war.
These are
examples of great historical significance that should guide the path of all of
us who suffered from military confrontations and continue to suffer from the
continuing military occupation, which burdens not just the Greek Cypriots but
also our Turkish Cypriot compatriots.
Dear friends,
Sixty-nine years
have passed since the end of the Second World War, the most extensive,
geographically, armed conflict in the history of mankind, which claimed more
than 55 million lives.
It is the duty
of governments and society at large not to forget and honour the people who
gave their lives or fought and contributed in any way to the struggle for
freedom and democracy. It is for this reason that we, as the government, and
the President of the Republic personally, congratulate the organizers of
today’s event on the occasion of the 65th anniversary of the anti-fascist
victory. We bow in awe before those who secured, with their fight and
sacrifice, freedom and dignity in the modern world.
No matter how
many years go by, the victory against fascism and nazism of Hitler’s Germany
will always constitute one of the greatest collective achievements of mankind.
The Second World
War had a staggering effect in Cyprus too after 28 October 1940, when the
island sided united with the Greek allies against fascism. Greece’s decision to
defend itself against the more populous fascist and nazi military forces caused
wide enthusiasm, as it was a reward for Cypriot irredentism and led to the
remarkable public revival of the unionist ideology.
After the
summoning of the Designate of the Archbishop Throne Bishop of Pafos Leontios,
thousands of Cypriots were enrolled in special registries set up by the Church
of Cyprus as volunteers for the Greek army or recruited in the Cyprus Regiment
that had been already founded by the British.
Until the German
invasion, in April 1941, a few thousand men of the Cyprus regiment, Greeks,
Turks, Armenians and Maronites, who belonged to sapper and engineer brigades,
were transferred to Greece.
The Cyprus units
suffered several casualties, dead, injured and many missing persons. Until the
end of the war, dozens of Cypriot war prisoners died from hardships or were
executed.
Several men of
the Cyprus regiment who had been cut off in mainland Greece, and who were not
captured during the retreat, or managed to escape after they were arrested,
took refuge in the Greek mountains. Some of them got in touch with the first
hiding and escaping nets of the British army and, after they obtained fake
Greek identities, they remained hidden in the countryside or continued fighting
in the Middle East.
For a small
island and a small in size but large in spirit people, the price of this
participation was heavy. From a Cypriot volunteer force that was nearly 20,000
men and women, and a number of 10,000 Cypriots who lived abroad and were
enlisted in the armed forces of the countries they had lived in, more than
2,500 were captured, hundreds were injured and more than 600 are lying dead at
56 cemeteries in 17 different countries.
It is a duty of
historical significance to keep alive in the memory of peoples the suffering
caused by the rise of fascism in Italy and nazism in Germany during the 1930s,
as the least token of honor and appreciation for the selfless contribution of
our veterans to their motherland and humanity in general. To preserve the
memory of the millions of victims of the most bloody war in world history. To
remember the devastation that humanity has experienced and to strive to prevent
behaviors that could lead to similar situations.
Nazism and
fascism are diametrically opposed to the meaning of democracy, the most sacred
legacy Greek culture left to humanity; this legacy that mankind defended with
carnage of sacrifice. Europe needs a course focusing on development, the human
being and its needs, on the deepening of democracy, social equity and cohesion.
This course and this orientation will forever eliminate the appearance of the
unacceptable totalitarianism and the impoverishment of human existence.
It is our duty
to convey to our youth the ideals of democracy in order to understand and
appreciate these values, which were obtained by fierce battles and sacrifices
of many people believing in pure ideals and values. It is our obligation to
teach younger generations these ideals, so that they will not relive the horror
and not have to shed even a single drop of blood for what we may take for
granted today.
Honorable
veteran fighters,
Through you, we
honor all those who fought against the fascist-Nazi Axis for the freedom of
peoples. We feel very proud of this contribution by Cyprus in world history.
Through you, we
honor the ideals of peace, justice and democracy and we draw strength to defend
them. We are confident that, with the fighting spirit of peoples and the
equivalent vigilance, these pan-human ideals will prevail and better days will
rise for all mankind, but also for our small country so as to exit from the
dire situation in which is in.
Under these
difficult circumstances, we give a promise to you veterans to continue the
struggle for a just solution of the Cyprus problem, for the reunification of
our island.
I thank you very
much for your invitation to today’s event. The President of the Republic and
Cyprus as a whole honor your struggles. These struggles are for all of us a
beacon guiding our steps towards the future.
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