The long-standing ties between Cyprus, Israel and Greece, their close cooperation in areas of strategic importance, as well as the role of the diaspora organizations of the three countries in the US were highlighted during today’s visit of Greek-American and American-Jewish organizations to Cyprus, where they met with the Presidential Commissioner.
The Presidential Commissioner, Photis Photiou, welcomed the delegation of representatives of the Greek American organizations AHEPA, AHI, as well as the American Jewish organizations B’nai B’rith and of the Conference of Presidents of American Jewish Organizations, who are on a mission to meet with officials and organizations in tripartite cooperation countries, Greece, Cyprus and Israel.
The visit took place after a pause of two years, due to the coronavirus pandemic, and included meetings with the Minister of Foreign Affairs, Ioannis Kasoulidis, as well as a visit to the Tomb of Makedonitissa and the Cyprus-Israel Friendship Monument at the “Vassilis Kapotas” Camp at the former BMH.
In his statement after the meeting at the Presidential Palace, the Presidential Commissioner spoke of a productive and interesting discussion on all matters. He referred in particular to what was discussed regarding the crucial role of the diaspora of the three countries in the promotion of national issues in important decision-making centers. “We are united by historical ties, common values and traditions, as well as common goals and aspirations regarding our future course,” said Photiou.
He explained that the Cyprus-Greece-Israel cooperation on diaspora issues contributes to the further strengthening of relations between the three countries, which “aims to promote peace, security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean region,” he said.
Photiou thanked the diaspora organizations for their support to Cyprus and for their efforts to resolve the humanitarian problem of the missing persons. “On this occasion, I would like to reaffirm that Cyprus is strongly opposed to any actions or anti-Semitic rhetoric,” he concluded.
Jimmy Kokotas, President of AHEPA, said that after Cyprus, the delegation will visit Israel and Greece, in order to strengthen the framework of cooperation between the three countries, “and see what changed in the past two years and what opportunities exist to bring more parties in. There are many seats at our table, we welcome people and countries to fill those chairs of friendship and respect, and mutual cooperation for the common goals of peace, common interests, democracy”, he said.
He also added that, after the pandemic and the war in Ukraine, the issues of energy, agriculture and how the three countries can support each other, should be examined going forward, “to improve the lives of a lot of the people and contribute to an improvement of society as a whole”.
Dianne Lob, Chair of the Conference of Presidents of Major American-Jewish Organizations, said: “The 3+1 is really critical, we believe in support of democracy in the region, it really is a force for stability”. She added that the aim is for these organizations to contribute through ”economic cooperation, security cooperation and broad cooperation between these three counties”.
Daniel Mariaschin, CEO of B’nai B’rith, said relationships between the three countries “are natural, because for over 150 years the Jewish and Hellenic communities in the United States have lived side-by-side in many cities”. He reaffirmed the intention of the organizations to strengthen the relationship of the countries in the strategic sector, as well as in sectors such as economics and tourism.
Nick Larigagis, President of the American Hellenic Institute (AHI), which was founded on the occasion of the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974 and since then has been intervening with politicians in Washington to restore freedom and peace on the island, as part of the EU, as he said. The strategic role of the three countries is extremely important, not only for themselves, but also for the region itself, for maintaining peace and stability and ”that also serves the interests of USA”, he said. “Cyprus, Greece and Israel combined are countries that are West oriented, democratic and value oriented” and ”they provide the front-line states for promoting peace and stability”.
Visit to the Cyprus-Israel Friendship Monument at the site of the former BMH
During the visit of the delegation to the Cyprus-Israel Friendship Monument at the former BMH, Photiou, representatives of the diaspora organizations, as well as Christakis Papavassiliou, President of the Cyprus-Israel Business Association, whose father, Prodromos Papavassiliou was closely linked to the activities and lives of Jewish Holocaust survivors found in British government camps in Cyprus during the period 1946-49, said a few words.
In his greeting, Photiou stressed that the site of the monument has a special historical significance, both for the Jews and the Cypriots. “We pay a humble tribute to the survivors of the Holocaust, on the occasion of the 73rd anniversary of the closure of the Jewish concentration camps in Cyprus,” said Photiou.
He also said that the interaction between the two peoples dates back to ancient times, to be develop today into a “dynamic relationship between Cyprus and Israel, with strategic cooperation”. He stressed that the benefits of this relationship are found in youth, entrepreneurship, education and culture, as well as in diaspora organizations. “It is more than obvious that the people of Cyprus and Israel share the same democratic values, family and social values, as well as similar cultural characteristics”, he added.
Finally, he stressed that Cyprus, Israel and Greece are “predictable and credible US allies in the region”, while geographical proximity puts them in the same position in the face of common challenges.
On his part, Jimmy Kokotas stated that 2,200 Jewish children were born in the area of the British Military Hospital (BMH) during the period 1946-49 and that to them, to their parents and to the Holocaust survivors who remained in the British camps in Cyprus during this period, the Cypriots offered comfort, support and solidarity.
“The survivors odyssey, born out of an unspeakable crime against humanity, was given hope to go on, thanks to the humanitarianism and compassion shown by the people of Cyprus”, he said, adding that therefore, this monument is a symbol of the friendship between the two countries.
“Let us hope and pray, that our children and our children’s children will face a more peaceful world, one that is better and safer and less hateful”.
Daniel Mariaschin of the B’nai B’rith organization, in his greeting, said that the camps of the British administration in Cyprus were not a very pleasant place for the survivors of the Holocaust, who had just escaped a huge catastrophe, but at that time many Cypriots supported them, while there are reports that many helped them escape, in order to reach Palestine, where the state of Israel was to be established. “In the local Cypriot citizens who helped them”, these Holocaust survivors ”saw the first glimmer of humanity that they had seen since 1939, so we are grateful to those Cypriots, who reached out” and ”we will never forget it”, he concluded.
Christakis Papavassiliou briefly highlighted this largely unknown aspect of the history of Cyprus under colonialism in his greeting, referring to memories of the action of his father, Prodromos Papavassiliou, who sided with the Jews held in English camps for 30 months, from 1946 to 1949.
According to Papavassiliou, his father, as a young idealist and active member of the labor movement in Cyprus at the time, found it paradoxical that Great Britain, which had fought against Nazism during World War II, had set up concentration camps for the Holocaust survivors in Cyprus, forbidding them to move to Palestine, in order for Britain to safeguard its geostrategic interests.
That is why when Jews began to organize their daily lives in the camps, he was among the Cypriots who rushed to help. Although there are no official records of the escapes, Papavassiliou said that the tunnels under the barbed wire of the camps and the memories of the locals who helped, testify that many escaped.
Source: Cyprus News Agency