By Marinos Pavlikas *:
It is the voice that thousands of our compatriots hear every day through the Greek radio LGR in the Cypriot parish of London.
Michael Janes is a modern philhellene, a man who loved Cyprus as few and who speaks proudly of his second homeland, as he calls it.
We met him at his holiday home in Protaras and we had the opportunity to hear him express his love for our country, his views on the Cyprus problem, but also the fact that he is the only English speaker on the radio station of the Cypriot community in London. .
The recent Islamic State terrorist attacks in the heart of London were one of the most shocking moments in Michael Janes' career. As he describes, one of the most painful moments in his journalistic career was the moment of the announcement of the bulletin of last May 23rd about the terrorist attack in Manchester and the announcement of the death of the 8-year-old Cypriot by third generation Safi Rose Roussos.
"In London we recently had some very sad news. Terrorism is outside our doorstep and of course this is a concern for Greek Cypriots living and working in London. We received calls from Cyprus about the events and unfortunately, one of the sad news I had to announce was the death of eight-year-old Cypriot third generation Roussos, from the terrorist suicide bombing in Manchester. "It's very important that we transmit this news to the local community."
Michael Janes also describes the election of Pampos Charalambous with the Labor party in the June 8 parliamentary elections as the first Cypriot representative in the British Parliament.
The special love that Michael Janes has for Cyprus, but also the special relationship that he has developed with our country through his daily involvement with the news, led him to have a specific opinion on the Cyprus Problem. He characterizes the procedures followed at this time as the most critical for our country, considering it more important to observe a compromising attitude on both sides.
"There has been a lot of talk for almost 50 years about the Cyprus issue and I think that, as I hear from both sides but also from what is being said internationally, now is the time for words to stop and for deeds to be taken. Of course, the Greek Cypriots have suffered a lot because of the refugee, the sad issue of the missing, but also the occupation, and I believe that in the end both sides must make some compromises. But I also believe that there is a red line for Mr. Anastasiadis, from which he can not be found below, because he owes it to the community, not only for those who live today, but also for those who have passed away. ", He emphasizes.
He, as he says, finds many similarities in his life with the award-winning travel book of Nikos Hatzikostis "Destination Earth", which he recently had the opportunity to host on his show on the Greek radio station in London.
Michael Janes, a modern philhellene and a lover of our country, expresses his sincere love for Cyprus, a love that, as he says, led him to buy his second home on our island. An island that he considers his homeland, which he got to know more through his daily radio show about the expatriate Cypriot Hellenism of Great Britain.
"But when we first came to Cyprus, we had no other choice, because we fell in love from the first moment with Protaras and this location here on the hill of Profitis Ilias. "Since 2003 we enjoy our holidays here twice a year and spend time in Cyprus in October and November, because the weather here is better without being too hot", he concludes.
Source: SIGMA TV / SIMERINI Newspaper (2/7/2017)