The upgraded interest of the European Union, combined with the clear political will of the UN Secretary-General for the resumption of the negotiation process on the Cyprus problem, allow developments to be viewed with cautious optimism, Interior Minister Constantinos Ioannou said on Sunday.
Ioannou was speaking at the memorial service for the soldiers of the 398th Infantry Battalion who fell during the Turkish invasion, and at the supplication for the discovery of the fate of the missing persons of Potamia. He noted that memory constitutes an element of our historical consciousness, adding that the greatest vindication of our heroes' sacrifice can be nothing other than the liberation and reunification of our homeland.
"Fifty-two years after the tragedy of 1974, we remain firmly committed to the goal of ending the occupation and achieving a comprehensive and viable solution of the Cyprus problem, on the basis of the relevant UN Security Council resolutions, the agreed framework, the European acquis and the principles and values of the European Union," he said.
Full support from EU partners
The minister noted that the government is working with consistency and determination to create the necessary conditions that will allow a return to the negotiating table.
"In this effort we have the full support of our partners in the European Union. The recent appointment of the Executive Vice-President of the European Commission, Raffaele Fitto, as EU Special Envoy for the Cyprus problem is a particularly significant development, which reflects the Union's upgraded interest in solving the Cyprus problem, as well as the efforts made by the Republic of Cyprus for the Union's substantive involvement in the process," he added.
The EU's upgraded interest, combined with the UN Secretary-General's clear political will for the resumption of the process, "allow us to view developments with cautious optimism", he said.
"Our side will continue to make use of every possibility that arises, with consistency, credibility and political will. The Cyprus for which our heroes sacrificed themselves in 1974 is a homeland free, peaceful and reunited. A country where all its lawful citizens will live in conditions of security, stability and prosperity. This remains our debt to our heroes and to the next generations," he stressed.
The 398th Infantry Battalion
Referring to the 28 young men of the 398th Infantry Battalion who fell fighting during the Turkish invasion of 1974, defending the freedom, independence and territorial integrity of the Republic of Cyprus, Ioannou said that "at the same time, we offer today a supplication for the determination of the fate of the two missing persons of Potamia, Andreas Varnava Kourounas and Panayiotis Loizou Karageorgis".
"Fifty-two years on, their absence continues to be an open wound for their families, for the community and for our entire homeland," he said. The 398th Infantry Battalion, he continued, ranks among the National Guard units that paid the heaviest toll in blood during the Turkish invasion. Based in Kythrea, the battalion's men were on the front line of operations from the very first moment, fighting in the area of Epicho and later in the Chatos enclave, carrying out their assigned missions with selflessness.
During the second phase of the invasion, in August 1974, Ioannou continued, they found themselves facing the invader's superior forces, remaining faithful to their oath and their duty to the end.
"The sacrifice of the 28 fallen, the ten soldiers who remain missing and the losses suffered by the battalion place it among the most sorely tested units of the National Guard. The people we honour today did not become heroes because they sought glory. They were young people who faced the most difficult conditions and chose to do their duty. They had families, dreams and their whole lives ahead of them. But when their homeland called them, they placed freedom above their own lives. And that is precisely what makes their memory timeless," he added.
An open wound and a continuing duty
Memory, the Interior Minister underlined, constitutes an element of our historical consciousness. "It is the force that reminds us who we are, what we have endured as a people and what our debt is to the next generations. We draw strength from the past and from our heroes in order to build a better future for our country. With the same emotion we stand today beside the families of the two missing men of Potamia. For their relatives, but also for all the generations of Cypriots that have followed since, time has never closed the circle of mourning," he said.
The search for the truth continues, he said, and the state has a duty to work until the fate of all missing persons is fully determined. "This is a supreme humanitarian issue, but also an obligation deriving from international law and respect for human dignity. The fallen of the 398th Infantry Battalion form part of the history of Cypriot Hellenism. Their memory reminds us that freedom, democracy and dignity are not given, but demand constant defence," he stated.
"With respect, we bow today before the sacrifice of the soldiers of the 398th Infantry Battalion and of all who fell defending the Republic of Cyprus during the black summer of 1974," he added. With the same responsibility, Ioannou said, "we continue the struggle for the discovery of all the missing and for the reunification of our homeland".
