Greece honors and bows to the memory of the Cypriot and Greek defenders of Cyprus who, with heroism and self-sacrifice, confronted the invasion in the summer of 1974.
Thirty-nine years have passed since the illegal Turkish invasion of 20 July 1974, which plunged the relatives of the fallen into mourning and, from one day to the next, transformed thousands of families into refugees. Despite a number of Security Council resolutions, international legality continues to be violated in Cyprus. Cyprus is still experiencing the repercussions of the invasion: the illegal military occupation, mass violations of the human rights of the Cypriot people, illegal settlement, and the ongoing destruction of its Hellenic and orthodox cultural heritage. Moreover, the fate of the missing – whose relatives have been waiting for answers to their questions for 39 years – continues to be unknown.
In these unfavourable conditions, the Republic of Cyprus has all these years not only shown its endurance, but also developed into a factor for peace and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.
The Greek government and the Greek people continue to stand by Cyprus’ side. Anyone who believes that the current economic difficulties of Greece and Cyprus will bring about any change in our policy are sorely misled.
The ending of the occupation and its repercussions and the reunification of Cyprus via a just, viable and functional solution based on the resolutions of the Security Council and Cyprus status as an EU member state remain the objective of Greece, for which the Cyprus issue is a top foreign policy priority.
July 20, 2013