The memorial service for the fallen of the community was held this morning, from the Church of Agios Georgios Xylofagos. The Government was represented by the Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou, delivering the funeral of the day.
The heroes of the Xylofagos community are:
- Michalakis Vrachimis and Nikos Theofanous: fell in the battles of Mansoura on August 8, 1964. When Cyprus had taken the first taste of the underground expansionist and warlike plans of Turkey.
- Frixos Panagiotou: fell fighting in Alamino, on July 20, 1974, the first day of the invasion.
- Dean Andreas Katzii, Dean Nikos Katzii, Antonis Gerasimou, Christofis Pttasia and Petros Loizou: they fell fighting in the area of Agios Pavlos, on August 14, 1974, with the beginning of the second phase of the Turkish attack against our homeland.
- Loizos Christou: he fell fighting on August 14, 1974, also in Famagusta.
- Giorgallis Giorgallis: he fought and fell in Mia Milia.
- Kyriakos Tziapra: missing until 2011, he fell fighting in Palekithro.
- Stavros Mousoullou: missing until 2017, he fell while defending his homeland in Lapatsa Skyllouras, on the day of August 18, at the age of just XNUMX years old.
Prodromou: On the basis of UN resolutions / decisions, reinforced by EU decisions, the PTA moves
The President of the Republic Nikos Anastasiadis for the meeting next Friday with the Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akinci moves on the basis of the UN resolutions and decisions, reinforced by the EU decisions that accuse Turkey of behaving in accordance with international law and principles of the civilized world, said Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.
In a commemorative speech at the national memorial of the heroic fallen of the Xylofagos Community during the Turkish invasion, in the Holy Temple of Agios Georgios, Mr. Prodromou said that the President of the Republic seeks to negotiate with the Turkish Cypriot leader, meaning of course that he will He said, "indeed a Turkish Cypriot compatriot and not the plans of Ankara, which boldly claims almost half of the rights of Cyprus to our sea and its wealth, declaring daily that the solution to the Cyprus problem is occupation."
Stating that "the situation is critical again", Mr. Prodromou said that "precisely for this reason and remembering the sacrifices of our people in 1974, we must strengthen the effort of the President of the Republic to achieve the resumption of negotiations," from where we stayed in 2017 and utilizing the six parameters proposed by UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres ".
Turkey is trying to avoid this, because even these days President Tayyip Erdogan, as he said, invokes guarantees to encroach on our sea and impose the logic of Turkish arbitrariness.
"By refusing to negotiate and trying to erase deposits for the abolition of anachronistic guarantees and the withdrawal of its army from Cyprus, Turkey is trying to add to the divisive equation of the Cyprus problem and the attack at sea, aided, unfortunately, by the Turkish side. "Instead of a conciliation and conciliation based on the UN principles, it is trying to put Turkey as a partner in the energy resources of Cyprus and thus hinders the substantive negotiation", he underlined.
Mr. Prodromou said that Turkey's current attitude towards the natural wealth of Cyprus shows bulimia, intolerance, brazen authoritarianism and lurking, unfortunately always expansionism, adding that "it is not the wealth we have to defend but above all its inviolable principle sovereignty of the Cypriot state and people ”. And "so together we defend the very idea of a solution to the Cyprus problem without the occupation or domination of Turkey."
The Government Spokesman said that it is inconceivable, at a time when the Turkish leadership is threatening us even with a repeat of the barbaric attack of 1974, that some should try to criticize and not hesitate to incriminate our side, rushing from partisan rivalry against it. Government.
We have paid dearly for such behaviors in the past. "Unity is required today against what threatens Cyprus and our freedom," he added.
He stated that today, 45 years later, we continue our struggle committed to the effort for a peaceful solution of the Cyprus problem, adding that we seek a functional and viable solution that will cancel the invasion, provide for the withdrawal of the occupying troops, end the abductions. invasive rights of Turkey and will guarantee human rights in conditions of peace, security, democracy, justice and prosperity for all legal residents of our island.
"Apart from political or ideological differences, guided by the debt for the homeland and the freedom of this country, let us jointly support the effort against Turkey," he added.
These days, he continued, the President of the Republic, after two fruitless years in which Turkey did everything it could to avoid negotiations like the one that took place in Switzerland in 2017, is trying to bring the Turkish side to its responsibilities.
Mr. Prodromou said that we are no longer alone, as the Republic of Cyprus has become an EU member state, which even today, as he said, disturbs Turkey's fraudulent plans - Turkish government officials continue to protest in vain .
"Therefore, not only do we have the support of our 27 partners in the face of Turkey's attempt to encroach on the sea and seize any energy deposits, but we also rightly claim the settlement of the Cyprus problem on the basis of European principles and rules." he added.
Finally, Mr. Prodromou said that we commemorate and honor thirteen worthy children of Xylofagos, who fought bravely and sacrificed themselves on the altar of duty, adding that “in difficult times, when our country is still facing the daily and hostile Turkish energies in our sea, in times when we need standards of morality and virtue, paying tribute to those who sacrificed for freedom, comes to enlighten us ”and“ to show us in the light, not only what we owe to the heroes who fought and fell for freedom , but also what we owe to our children, to the generations that follow and enliven Cyprus, which never was and should not become a protectorate and province of Turkey ".
Turkey does not answer in the affirmative to the question whether Cyprus will be allowed to be an independent state, says Prodromou
"Unfortunately, so far, Turkey has not answered in the affirmative to the question of whether Cyprus will be allowed to be an independent state of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots," Government Spokesman Prodromos Prodromou said today.
In statements to Xylofagou, Mr. Prodromou was asked whether at tomorrow's meeting, which will take place at the presidential residence in Troodos, the President of the Republic with the political leaders, an effort will be made to find common ground, after the confrontation between the DISY and ΑΚΕΛ.
Mr. Prodromou replied that “there is common ground, unfortunately it did not exist. "It's the resolution of the Cyprus issue, the end of the Turkish occupation on the basis of United Nations resolutions and decisions and the principles and rules of the European Union," he said, adding that "this is common ground and we must remain committed to it."
He added that tomorrow the President of the Republic "will inform the political leaders about his own approach, with good will but also with a firm political will to resume the negotiations from where they ended. It should and will listen to the political leaders, their own thoughts, suggestions, because the goal should be to bypass Turkey's obstruction and try to substitute the debate on the Cyprus issue, if it is possible to forget the six parameters of its Secretary General "UN, which meant an end to guarantees, an end to the occupation troops, in order to refer us to discuss other issues."
Mr. Prodromou was invited to comment on part of the interview of the General Secretary of AKEL in a Sunday newspaper, in which he states that the concerns of Turkey and the Turkish Cypriots on the issue of gas should be calmed down.
After stating that he does not consider it "useful to comment on the statements of the political leaders", the Government Spokesman noted that "one generally wonders, Turkey occupies, occupies 37% of the Cypriot territory, Turkey will still inform us about these missing Today, Turkey, the occupying regime threatens to colonize Famagusta, Turkey violates human rights, confiscates people's property for decades now and the other day Turkey, through the mouth of the President, threatens to repeat the war of 1974. In addition, Turkey wants to appropriate almost half of the EEZ of the Republic of Cyprus "he said and asked" what concerns do we mean, these? "
Prodromos Prodromou was also invited to comment on yesterday's interview with Turkish Cypriot leader Mustafa Akkintzi, in which he said, among other things, that natural gas is the counterweight to Varos and called on President Anastasiadis to put it on the table.
"We are talking in the context of the United Nations, the United Nations has decisions about Famagusta that need to be respected, it is so simple," he said, adding that "of course on the way to resuming negotiations and much more on the road to an agreement solution, and it has been suggested some time ago by the President, it is one of the key proposals in the Confidence Measures - it would help if the study, the recording for the restoration of the city of Famagusta and its delivery to the legal residents. That is all that can be said about Famagusta. "
He also said that "as far as the Turkish side is concerned about the issue of gas in order to forget that Turkey still has to stand for guarantees, the answer is that we were very close, within a radius of an agreement for a solution and the Secretary General The UN tried to help by selecting the six key issues, six parameters. We should focus on those parameters and the Turkish side should be placed as well ".
According to Mr. Prodromou, “when the Cypriot government defends the sovereign rights of the state and the people, it does not only defend natural wealth, it has nothing to do with wealth. The defense of the law and the rights of the Republic of Cyprus has to do with the type, with the content of the solution that we are going to proceed with, that is, that Cyprus with the solution that we seek and seek, a solution of conciliation with the Turkish Cypriots, will not is a subordinate and protectorate of Turkey, it will not be under the sovereignty of Turkey ".
He also noted that "more than wealth, the issue has to do with the sovereign rights of a state. That is, the question is whether Cyprus will be allowed to be an independent state of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots. "Unfortunately, Turkey has not responded in the affirmative so far," he said.
Asked whether there is a possible moratorium on the energy plans of the Republic of Cyprus, as suggested yesterday by Mustafa Akkinci, the Government spokesman replied that "I will not rule on the energy issue, there is a unanimous, if I am not mistaken, recent decision of the Council of the President of the Republic ”.
Famagusta.News