Athienou: The country has an “inalienable obligation” to preserve its national dignity and a “historical and national duty” to continue its just struggle until the long-awaited liberation and reunification of the homeland is achieved, Defence Minister Vasilis Palmas said on Sunday.
According to Cyprus News Agency, the Minister made these remarks during a memorial speech at the annual commemoration of Charalambos Charalambous, held at the Church of Panagia Chryseleousis in Athienou. Palmas paid tribute to the young man from Xylofagou who lost his life while carrying out his duty “with dedication and self-sacrifice” at a moment when history placed him face to face with the harshest reality. He noted that the tragic incident in Athienou and the killing of Charalambous are part of a broader historical context of incidents along the Green Line and the Buffer Zone, occurring across different periods both before and after the specific event.
The Minister stressed that actions by Turkish occupying forces continue to be observed to this day, aimed at challenging the status quo of the buffer zone, the role and mandate of the United Nations Peacekeeping Force in Cyprus (UNFICYP), and at creating new faits accomplis on the ground. He linked these developments to the wider issue of the Turkish occupation and ongoing efforts to achieve a comprehensive and viable solution to the Cyprus problem.
Palmas recalled that since 1974, Turkey exploited the July 15 coup to invade Cyprus in violation of the Treaty of Establishment of the Republic of Cyprus and international law. He highlighted the thousands killed, fallen soldiers, and missing persons, the displacement of over 200,000 compatriots, and the destruction of cultural heritage in the occupied territories as painful aspects of a drama unfolding for more than half a century.
Concluding his speech, the Defence Minister stressed that in a period of international uncertainty where values and principles are constantly tested, historical memory and the sacrifices of those who fought for the homeland serve as a steady point of reference. “We are obliged, with the same determination, to continue our struggle until we manage to make our homeland a free and reunified state,” he said.