The memorial service for the fallen Mandrites of Famagusta and a prayer in favor of finding the missing was held on Sunday 1/9 in the chapel of Agios Mamantos in Paralimni.
In recent years, a monument of honor and memory of the fallen of the community has been erected in the courtyard of the chapel.
The Government was represented by the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Theodosis Tsiolas.
The full speech of the Secretary of the Council of Ministers, Theodosi Tsiola.
Forty-five years have passed since the betrayal and crucifixion of Cyprus, and the duty to commemorate our heroes is still heavy and painful, because in addition to our prayer for the rest of their souls, the voice of our collective conscience beats intensely within us. reminding us that we have no right to prove ourselves inferior to their own sacrifice which remains unjust.
The historical lessons we learn from yesterday strengthen our mental strength and stimulate our national consciousness which is the compass for our course in tomorrow. We have no right to forget the sacrifices of our heroes, nor to write down the principles and values for which they fought, as well as the visions and ideals that inspired them.
Today, it is with pain of soul that we gathered in this fifth sanctuary to commemorate the fallen of the Mantra community of the province of Famagusta during the barbaric Turkish invasion.
We mention five residents of the community who were cold-bloodedly killed by Turkish Cypriot extremists in the neighboring village of Agios Iakovos on Mantres, on August 1, 1974, exactly 45 years ago.
Paschalis Mosfilis, Fivos Karagiannis, Georgios Christodoulou, Ioannis Karagiannis and Sotiris Hatzipanagis were arrested and transferred to the Turkish Cypriot village of Tziaos, which served as a gathering place for prisoners of war and mass executions. Bekiogiou.
According to the recorded data, several others are mentioned as places of mass executions, such as Aphania, Kyrenia, Halevka, Strongylo, Mia Milia, Neo Chorio Kythreas and others.
The testimonies and findings underline the barbarity and savagery experienced by many of our other compatriots during the two phases of the Turkish invasion, and in whose memory we must cite the facts as required by historical truth.
The perpetrators were members of Turkish Cypriot extremist groups from neighboring villages who, poisoned by the hatred of extreme nationalism that had been ingrained in their souls for years by the representatives and organs of the deep-seated state of Turkey, carried out the invasion and its aftermath. Greek Cypriots who were either arrested in an attempt to flee to the free areas, or who had chosen to stay in their villages to be close to their lives and property.
The love for their village was the reason why the cold-bloodedly killed five residents of the village of Mandres did not abandon it when the second phase of the Turkish invasion began.
Today we also mention Ioannis Ioannou who, while serving his homeland, fell fighting in battles with the invaders. He belonged to the 336th Infantry Battalion. For many years his name was included in the list of the missing until his bones were located and identified.
Another young man from Mandres is still missing. It is Ioannis Koutsoftas who fought the enemy, enlisted as a reserve in the 181st Lowland Artillery Squadron. His traces were lost in Syghari. We pray to the Most High to give his family the answers he has been waiting for for 45 years now for his fate.
The most tragic aspect of the drama that Cyprus experienced in 1974 is, of course, our missing.
Another 827 of our young men are still missing and we expect Turkey to finally assume its enormous responsibilities. For our part, we are doing what is possible, but, unfortunately, everything depends on the will of the occupying power, which puts up obstacles and does not respond, as required, to the implementation of the decisions of international courts and other institutions. However, we will continue our efforts strongly in order to solve this humanitarian problem that causes pain and misery to many families.
Compatriots, Compatriots,
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.
The thought of all of us today goes to our favorite villages and cities. Especially in Mandres, a pure Greek village at the southern foot of the Pentadactylus before it was occupied by Attila.
Mandres borders the villages of Akanthou, in the northwest, Platani and Lefkoniko in the southwest and Kandara in the east.
The older ones especially remember the monastery of Panagia Touchniou which is located in the east of the village and was of the 12th century. The church and the whole monastery were desecrated by the Turks in 1974. Murals were destroyed and looted, the icons were stolen and today it is used as an animal ranch. Fortunately, the Church of Cyprus located in Europe and repatriated two of the icons of the Monastery. Other churches in the area are Agios Mamas, the patron saint of the village, and the chapel of Panagia Galaktini.
The route to Mandres is idyllic. The landscape is spectacular. In front of the mountain, Pentadaktylos with its inconceivable beauty. To the right lies the plain of Mesaoria and the gulf of Famagusta. Cypresses, locusts, ropes and other trees compose the scene along with many wildflowers and cyclamen in their time.
Due to the landscaping, many EOKA fighters passed through the village or took refuge in it, including Grigoris Afxentiou and Kyriakos Matsis.
For the excellent contact they maintain with the residents and the solution as much as possible of their problems, I warmly congratulate the members of the Community Council, as well as the Refugee Association Agios Mamas Mandron Famagusta.
Compatriots, Compatriots,
We are going through a period in which it will become clear whether a new round of negotiations can begin with the other side to resolve our national issue.
We hope that the new visit of the Secretary-General of the United Nations, Jane Hall Luth, and the subsequent planned contacts between the Secretary-General himself and the leaders of the two leaders, will yield what we expect to finally begin a fruitful and fruitful process. goodwill, responsibility and determination on both sides.
We hope that Turkey will finally show the goodwill and the will required to start and conduct negotiations that will yield the desired result for us, ending the unacceptable challenges in the territorial waters of Cyprus and in the region of our exclusive economic zone and for the settlement of the closed area of Famagusta.
The main goal to achieve a sustainable and excellent solution is to create conditions that will ensure lasting stability and allow the coexistence and co-creation of all Cypriots, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, in a normal state, through a solution compatible with the European acquis and the principles of international law, fully independent of anachronistic guarantees and the presence of the Turkish army and with guaranteed protection of the rights of all citizens.
We remain steadfast in our positions supported by United Nations resolutions, the Summit Agreements and the full range of international law. The unacceptable state of affairs on our island must be overthrown. We are committed to the goal of a solution that will end occupation and colonization, free Cyprus from foreign guarantees and invasive rights, and ensure the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all Cypriots.
As long as it takes, we will justify the sacrifice of our heroes and we will stand worthy of our history and our debt to the present and tomorrow generations.
May the memory of the inhabitants of the village of Mandres, Famagusta, mentioned today, be eternal.