The President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulidis spoke on Wednesday night about the honor and selflessness of expatriates who offer Cyprus at the reception he hosted at the Presidential Palace for the participants of the World Conference of Cypriot Diaspora.
During the reception, President Christodoulidis honored five expatriates for their contribution to their special homeland, Cyprus.
In his greeting during the event, the President of the Republic initially said that he is very happy, but much more emotional that I welcome them for the first time at the Presidential Palace.
"There are many and intense emotions that overwhelm me being among you, among friends and colleagues. Of course, the dominant feeling for me is that of gratitude to all of you, who did not stop for a minute to fight, fight and defend our beloved Cyprus. And all this, selflessly and without actually asking anything from the country," he said.
The President mentioned that he had the blessing, first as a student, to meet the community in New York, USA in 1993, and then as a diplomat the blessing to meet the community in London in 2002 and in Athens in 2010. "Therefore I know very very well your great and selfless love and concern for our homeland, for our Cyprus", he said and noted that a thank you is not enough for their selfless, undivided and multi-level contribution.
"Your struggles were and still are to this day the brightest beacon, the strongest helper for all Governments of the Republic of Cyprus over time, in our efforts first and foremost to end the occupation, to find a viable and functional solution that will vindicates the Cypriot people", he said.
The President made a special reference to the selflessness he experienced personally, "in what our ancestors called philotimo and a product of time became a Greek privilege, since this word does not exist in the vocabulary of any other language worldwide."
"Honorable, love towards giving to fellow man, society, country without ever expecting anything in return. This honor is what you personify and advertise around the world, and obviously, it has made you stand out, succeed and stand out as global ambassadors of our country," he said.
The President noted that the honor offered today by the Republic of Cyprus is nothing more than the certification of their excellence towards society and especially their place.
"Within the framework of this institution that was established a few years ago, tonight the Republic of Cyprus pays the minimum honor owed by the State to five of our compatriots who have distinguished themselves for their virtuous morals and their contribution," he said.
"I am referring to Ms. Ismini Michael, Mr. Stelios Georgiadis, Mr. Kyriakos Tsioupras, Mr. Paschalis Kitromilidis and Mr. Charalambos Kapnoulas. Your contribution to the homeland will be eternally grateful to me personally, but also more importantly to the entire Cypriot people," he said.
Afterwards, the President of the Republic awarded the Medal of Outstanding Offer to the five honored expatriates.
Receiving the Medal, Mrs. Michael thanked for the honor and said that she owes this to His Excellency President Nikos Christodoulidis, with whom she had the opportunity and honor to know and appreciate him during his student years in New York. "I wish God to help you continue your work. Also, I want to thank the Federation of Cypriot American Organizations and especially its President Ms. Kyriakos Papastephanou for the great work he does with the Federation and to thank our dear Mr. Philip Christopher, President of PSEKA and the Pan-Cypriot Association of America of which I am also a member. Wherever we are, wherever we are, we have love in our souls and we all strive for a common goal which is none other than the freedom of our Cyprus", he said.
For his part, Mr. Georgiadis said that "today we are the honored ones, but really the honor is ours. After thanking the family, he said: "I am very proud of all expatriate Greek Cypriots. We achieved a lot in difficult circumstances, but I really believe that with the guidance of the older generation, our young people, who are very many here today, can achieve much more to liberate our Cyprus and see it where it deserves in the world."
Receiving the Medal on behalf of her father, Katerina Tsioupra said "a warm thank you on behalf of our father for this honor. It is truly touching to receive such an honor in recognition of our father's work for his dedication and focus to the Cypriot community in London and Cyprus. This honor has an important meaning for our father. With pen in hand and an unwavering love for his country, our father worked tirelessly in the journalistic field with the ambition of a free and reunited Cyprus. It is with gratitude that I receive this honorary distinction from the Republic of Cyprus for our father."
For his part, Mr. Kitromilidis thanked the President and those who contributed in any way to this distinction and honoring of the previous compatriots as well as the federations with which he has been working for many years. "I would like to plead with the President to keep this institution because there are so many people out there who are worth it, have worked and we really should remember them and who are much better than me," he said.
Finally, Mr. Kapnoulas thanked for the honor, noting that it is a great emotional moment of justification and reinforcement to continue doing what we have been doing until now, for as many years as God gives us. "I was slightly surprised by the initiative, because I don't feel like an expatriate at all. I feel that I belong here and I have a Cyprus in me that may not exist anymore, but it lives in me, as it does in many people who have emigrated and those who live in the homeland. And we want to see the vindication of this Cyprus happen one day", he said.
Earlier, the President of the Republic, in a meeting with the members of the Central Council of Expatriates, gave an update on the Cyprus issue, which was not open to the media. Before the meeting with President Christodoulidis, a delegation of expatriates laid a wreath at the statue of the National Archer Makarios III in the forecourt of the Presidential Palace.
Source: KYPE