Deputy Minister to the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Irene Piki, attended on Saturday a memorial service for those who died during the 1974 coup and the Turkish invasion, held at the Athens Cathedral.
“No matter how many years pass, no matter how many difficulties we are called upon to face, in our memory and in our hearts there will always be a special place for those who, without second thoughts, answered the call of their homeland, those who put their betrayed homeland above all else,” Piki said during her speech.
As she stressed, this year’s anniversary is even more intense and painful, as ‘it carries on its shoulders fifty years and the unbearable pain of an entire people who continue to thirst for vindication, dream of liberation and struggle for reunification, peace and prosperity for all the inhabitants of the island.’
At the same time, she referred to the Greek Prime Minister’s presence in Cyprus today, saying that “this is the first time that a Greek Prime Minister will be at the condemnat
ion of the Turkish invasion and occupation events’.
‘Cyprus and Greece share a common grief, a common pain, a common anger. Our struggle for the reunification of Cyprus is also common”, Piki noted.
Regarding diplomatic developments, Piki suggested that ‘Ankara is not showing a sincere will to reach a viable and functional solution’.
‘Instead, it insists on the logic of direct or indirect recognition of the faits accomplis of the invasion, while recently promoting sovereign equality and a two-state solution as the only solution to the problem it has created, a solution that is contrary to the framework of the United Nations,’ Piki added.
The Deputy Minister to the President added that the Cypriot government is not reconciled to the present situation and stressed that for Nicosia there can be no other option than the liberation of Cyprus from the Turkish occupation and reaching a solution that will truly reunite the country and its people.
“On the part of the Cypriot Government, tangible and concrete steps
have been taken towards creating the right climate for a return to the talks, such as the package of 14 unilateral measures for the benefit of our fellow T/C citizens, as well as the adoption of conclusions at the European Council in April’, Piki underlined.
She also added that the appointment of the Personal Envoy of the UN Secretary General for Cyprus was made possible thanks to the persistent initiatives of the President of the Republic of Cyprus.
It is noted that the memorial service for those who died during the 1974 coup and the Turkish invasion was held under the auspices of the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, and was attended by the President of the Hellenic Parliament, Konstantinos Tasoulas, the Mayor of Athens, Harris Doukas, the President of the party ‘Plefsi Eleftherias’ Zoe Konstantopoulou and representatives of the Greece’s political parties.
Source: Cyprus News Agency