With two-day celebrations, which began on Monday evening (March 31) and ended late in the afternoon of April 1, and which included a Torchlight Procession, a Christmas Carol by the Sotiras Catechetical Congregation Band, raising the flag at the Sotiras Fallen and Missing Monument by the Deputy Mayor of the Sotiras Municipal District, Mr. Antonis Koumis, Doxology, Trisagion, laying of wreaths and the Famagusta District Parade, the Sotiras Municipal District - Ayia Napa Municipality magnificently honored the 70th Anniversary of the Start of the EOKA Liberation Struggle on April 1, 1955.
The Solemn Doxology was celebrated at the Church of the Resurrection of the Savior, where the Solemn Doxology of the Day was delivered by the Honorable Minister of the Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, who stated that seventy years after that historic day of April 1, 1955, "we bow to the greatness of the courage and selflessness of our heroes."
The explosions that were heard at dawn on April 1, he added, "were nothing but the rage of an entire people, who unitedly stood up like a fist against their English oppressors, marking the beginning of the most glorious moment in modern Cypriot history."
"The EOKA struggle constitutes the greatest historical moment of our Cyprus" and. its lessons and the self-sacrifice of our valiant men, he emphasized, "constitute for all of us the compass in the difficult path we have to travel, and the 50-plus years of occupation of our homeland do not allow us to abandon the struggle for vindication and reunification."
"We have a duty towards the sacrifice of our heroes," said the Minister of Interior, "to preserve the freedom that they gave us with their blood. It is our obligation towards future generations to remain equally steadfast in the face of the challenges of the times, to offer them hope for a peaceful and democratic Cyprus. This will be the real vindication of our heroes. Only in this way will we truly and effectively honor our History."
After the Solemn Doxology, a trisagion was held and wreaths were laid at the Sotiras Monument to the Fallen and Missing. Afterwards, the Famagusta provincial parade took place along Arch. Makarios III Avenue, in which Organized Ensembles from the Municipalities of the Famagusta District took part. The Minister of Interior, Mr. Konstantinos Ioannou, the Mayor of Ayia Napa, Mr. Christos Zannetou, Members of Parliament of Famagusta and the Deputy Mayor of the Sotiras Municipal District, Mr. Antonis Koumis, welcomed the procession.
The events concluded late in the afternoon with the lowering of the flag by the Deputy Mayor of the Municipality of Sotiras, Mr. Antonis Koumis.
