The new mayor Zina Lysandrou-Panagidis will bring the young people close to Lefkonikos

In order to bring together the young people from the occupied Lefkonikos and to hear the name of its town, the new Mayor Zina Lysandrou-Panagidi entered her duties dynamically, as she states.

In an interview with KYPE, she said that "we want the name of our town to be heard, to preserve our culture, to announce the achievements of our people, to maintain the relations we have between us".

Asked why she ran for Mayor, she spontaneously answers “because I love Lefkonikos for a lifetime, Lefkonikos is an incurable love for me. As a child I loved Lefkonikos and its people. President of the Gymnasium and flag bearer, Mrs. Lyssandrou said that she had friendships that have remained until today.

In 1977, when she completed her studies at the Faculty of Philosophy of the University of Athens and returned to Cyprus, she met with her comrades who loved Lefkonikos very much, and "we decided to build our own association, the Refugee Association, and Lefkonikos" there and beyond we started to find our world ".

Ms. Lysandrou recalls that in the first difficult years of the exile, the then government granted them a building near the Famagusta Gate and then found the plot on Kyrenia Avenue, which was given to them with the intervention of former President Glafkos Clerides and contributions from the people. the building of Lefkonikos Town Hall was erected.

He states that he was always close to Lefkonikos in all his events. The blessed Lykourgos Kappas, their High School Principal at Lefkonikos High School, former Mayor of Lefkonikos who also became Minister of Education, appointed her Cultural Officer of the Municipality, “so I was constantly and uninterruptedly in the cultural events of Lefkonikos. "It was a natural consequence for me to become mayor," he says.
Asked about her plans, she said: "First, to bring young people together. The problem with all the occupied municipalities is that people of a certain age go to all the events. So, we have to bring our young people together, because it is our future. To love Lefkonikos, to feel proud of their origin, to make their own events ".

He referred to the Municipal Youth Council, which, however, faded, and now they are trying to re-establish it. "We have already started with Limassol, we will go to Larnaca and we will come to Nicosia and then Famagusta to bring our young people together, to start working with us," he said.

In the electoral list, those who vote for the Municipality of Lefkonikos are about 2.200. But there are many who are in England, others who are born out of wedlock, who unfortunately are not our voters. "So, the Municipality of Lefkonikos embraces all of them with love, it wants their contribution", he notes.

She also plans to publish the History of Lefkonikos. "This is a monumental project, to publish the History of our town", says the Mayor and also proposes to record the genealogical trees of the inhabitants. Enlightenment is crucial, as well as "having good relations with the community leaders of the surrounding areas, so that we can take advantage of these relations."

"At the same time, we want to utilize our scientific potential, the internet, we create solidarity mechanisms to help those in need. Another idea is the exhibition of relics of Lefkonikos, as well as the creation of a documentary about Lefkonikos ".

Besides, the Municipality has created an older website, where one can enter and learn about Lefkoniko while there is also a profile on Facebook.

As for the Cyprus issue, "unfortunately Lefkonikos since 1977, one of the first plans, is not on the maps under e / k administration, and it is something that worries us. But we believe in the solution and in the reunification of our homeland, we have faith in the political leadership that in a solution of a bi-zonal, bi-communal federation we will be able to go back to Lefkonikos. For us, however, the goal is a full return.

"What I feel every time I go to Lefkoniko is happy. I am happy but also in unimaginable pain, especially the first time we went to our house, or the first time we served in the church of our Savior, after 41 years.

Undoubtedly, like the Free Besieged of D. Solomos, when I go on a pilgrimage to our land, my soul is free. I see my land and I draw strength ", he said, stating that he has good relations with some T / C who were friends and their parents. "I love the occupied land, I do not give it to anyone, because our ancestors are with blood and sweat who made their fortune."

What distinguished Lefkonikos was that it was the center of Mesaoria, cultural, spiritual, political, economic. It was mesmerizing in the Cypriot countryside. In 1909 it became the first cooperative bank in Lefkonikos. 1915 Court and Hospital. In 1939 High School and Municipality, then Agricultural Department, Post Office, Laiki Agora, and more. Lefkoniko also educated women from the beginning of the last century and we had teachers. "We are the third generation of educated women. We also had a School of Byzantine Music, since it is the birthplace of Archon Protopsaltis Theodoulos Kallinikos. It is worth emphasizing that Lefkonikos gave birth to our national poet Vassilis Michailidis, who this year marks one hundred years since his death, and the Municipality of Lefkonikos is planning a spiritual event to honor him. I would not like to omit the Metropolitan of Kiti Kyprianos, Ioannis Economidis and Markos Charalambous, founders of the Cooperation ".

During the Turkish invasion, four White House residents lost their lives, ten were the victims of the bombings and nine were missing. The six were identified and buried two years ago, in which "I did the funeral, since they were my classmates and my teacher Sotiris Michael, while the soldiers Epifanios Kyriakou, Kleitos Kleitou and Panikos Mina remain missing.

Speaking about the restoration work on Archangel Michael in Lefkonikos, Ms. Lyssandrou expressed the hope that they will be completed in a few months and will be able to operate it on November 8, which is the feast of the Archangel, and thanked all those who work for its restoration.

Source: autodioikisicy.com