EXCLUSIVE FAMAGUSTA.NEWS:
The funeral of the hero of the Turkish invasion Kyriakos Kalathas was held today at the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in the Community of Avgoros with 44 years delay.
The bones of Kyriakos Kalathas were located in 2011 in the area of the Turkish Cypriot village of Mora, as part of the exhumation and relic identification program of the Cyprus Commission of Inquiry, which operates under the auspices of the United Nations.
Anthropological and DNA tests were then performed, after which his identity was verified.
The procession took place today at 11:30 in the morning at the Church of the Apostles Peter and Paul in the Community of Avgorou.
The Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Theodosis Tsiolas, delivered a commemorative speech on behalf of the Government.
The nephew of the hero Konstantinos Kalathas, the President of the Community of Avgoros, Panagiotis Michailas and Andreas Fanou, also spoke at the funeral, on behalf of the comrades of the hero of 399TP.
Funeral Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Theodosi Tsiola:
With feelings of awe and deep emotion we gathered today in this sacred place to address the last joy to another of our compatriots who fell in favor of altars and hearths defending the freedom and territorial integrity of our homeland.
We say goodbye to Kyriakos Kalathas with due respect and we pray to the Most High for the rest of his soul and its placement in scenes of the righteous, where the souls of the other heroes of the struggles of our people rest. At the same time, we relive the nightmarish hours that our country experienced in the summer of 1974 with the treacherous coup and the Turkish invasion that followed with the destruction and barbarism that it brought with it.
The occupation, the settlement, the dead, the missing, the encroachment of our sanctuaries and saints, the violent expulsion of one third of our population from their homes and property, the attempt to falsify our history, are the great wounds that left in our homeland by Attila. Wounds that, due to Turkish intransigence and negativity, have not yet healed and remain open, despite the efforts made by our side claiming our rights.
But the most tragic aspect is our missing persons. The pain of the disappearance of hundreds of our compatriots was the worst for their loved ones. Many relatives of the missing are not alive today. They died, like Kyriakos' parents, Kostas and Eugenia, without the time to have news about their own people, sons, husbands, brothers and other loved ones who were lost in those frustrating days.
This is one of the most serious reasons we push to solve the problem of our missing, because it is inhumane, and beyond the limits of any logic, after 43 years and more, to remain unidentified the fate of hundreds persons and their relatives to die with incurable wounds in their souls from the pain and agony of so many years.
We do not ignore the fact that progress has been made on the issue of missing persons, but we are not satisfied with this as the number of unexplored cases of missing persons is still higher, while there are very serious problems that need to be overcome. The most important and urgent thing is for Turkey to allow the exhumations in the so-called military zones without any restrictions, as well as access to the records of the Turkish army, where there is certainly evidence for many more cases of our missing. Only in this way will we be able to meet the fair demand of relatives to determine the fate of their loved ones.
It is also Turkey's obligation to provide all information it has on the movement of remains from the original burial sites to others who remain unknown. Responsibilities cannot be concealed by moving relics. The truth is there. In the trenches of the battlefields, next to the mass graves, in the wells of Invisibility and wherever else our compatriots were thrown or buried Let us not let the pain of our relatives prolong and multiply. And, for sure, for us the issue does not end with the identification and identification of two or three bones from the remains of missing persons. Relatives have a full and internationally guaranteed right to receive all answers about the fate of their loved ones, and this without discounts.
The disappearance of a person is a multiple violation of basic and fundamental human rights. These violations are not limited to the rights of missing persons, but also extend to the rights of their families. Those who commit the crime are not only guilty of the disappearance of the missing persons, but also of perpetuating the misery of their families.
The time that has elapsed does not justify any other delay in the issue of verification of all cases of missing persons. We expect the Turkish side to cooperate fully with our side and the United Nations and to show the same goodwill, in order to put an end to an issue that afflicts, in the meantime, both Greek Cypriot and Turkish Cypriot families.
Kyriakos Kalathas was born in Avgorou on January 14, 1956, when the Turkish invasion did not break out, he was serving in the 399th Infantry Battalion, based in Bogazi, Famagusta.
When, at dawn on July 20, Turkish troops began landing on the shores of Kyrenia, and Turkish planes dropped paratroopers in the area of the Turkish Cypriot enclave of Agyrta, the men of the 399th Infantry Battalion were transferred to the area of Dikomro, where .
In this area, the men of the unit undertook various missions until July 22, 1974, when a truce was reached. They were then transported to the area of Mia Milias, despite the ceasefire line at the end of the first phase of the invasion. They immediately manned National Guard outposts in the area between Mia Milia and the Turkish Cypriot village of Hamit Mandres, where they remained until August 14, 1974, the start date of the second phase of the invasion.
At dawn that day, Turkish troops attacked the National Guard's defensive positions, using a large number of tanks and their air force.
After fierce but unequal battles, the Turkish troops broke through the defensive lines of the National Guard and moved towards Mia Milia in order to reach Trachoni Kythreas to occupy the Nicosia-Famagusta road and move towards Famagusta.
The men of the 399th Infantry Battalion, as well as the men of other units of the National Guard, were instructed to retreat to avoid being trapped and arrested.
Kalathas together with other soldiers of his unit moved inside Mia Milia and then towards the area of Halefka. From that time on, he and several of his comrades-in-arms showed no signs of life.
His bones were found in 2011 in the area of the Turkish Cypriot village of Mora, as part of the UN-sponsored program of exhumation and identification of remains of the Cyprus Missing Persons Commission.
Anthropological and DNA tests were then performed, after which his identity was verified. And today, together with his brothers, Mario, Christakis, George and Lakis, as well as the other relatives, we say goodbye to him with the honors due to him, as well as with the hope that his sacrifice will soon be justified and that they will prevail. throughout our island conditions of freedom, security, justice and democracy.
This is also the first of our priorities. That is, to end the occupation and reunite our homeland in the context of a permanent and lasting solution that will ensure the human rights and basic freedoms of all legal residents of our island, without dividing barbed wire and without guarantee and invasive rights of any country.
Unfortunately, in recent times we have faced an unprecedented escalation of Turkey's arrogance and intransigence with provocative violations of our sovereign rights over our exclusive economic zone, and with the promotion of positions that instead of facilitating the resumption of talks even further. Nevertheless, we are ready, if the illegal actions of Turkey are removed and any unacceptable demands on the part of the Turkish Cypriots, to enter directly into a dialogue concerning the internal aspects, but also to participate in a new international conference if the appropriate preparations are made. It also has five active members of the Security Council and the European Union.
With perseverance and determination we will continue our efforts with the expectation that the day of justification of the sacrifice of Kyriakos Kalathas and others who resisted Attila and fought for our freedom will finally come.
His memory is eternal and light is the soil that will cover his remains.
Famagusta.News
