“Honourable Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus,

Mr. Vice President of the Hellenic Parliament,

Mr. Alternate Minister of National Defence,

Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff,

Chiefs of General Staff,

Representative of the Prime Minister,

Mr. Minister,

Representative of the Leader of the Opposition,

Members of the Hellenic Parliament,

Representatives of the House of Representatives of the Republic of Cyprus,

Dear families of the deceased heroes,

Ladies and gentlemen,

it is with great respect, honour, and sadness that we welcome home today, with the Flags flying at half-mast, our heroes, who gave their life for the ideals of our Nation’s freedom.

The heroes

Colonel Stavrou Sotirios,

Warrant Officer Loukakis Theofanis,

Warrant Officer Kavrohorianos Nikolaos,

Warrant Officer Tsigaropoulos Nikolaos,

Corporal Tsoukas Dimitrios,

Private Kardaras Zaharias,

their faces mentally appear on the honoured Military Colours, which represent all those killed during the Country’s struggles.

So, on the occasion of today’s ceremony for the homecoming of the remains of the heroes of the Hellenic Contingent in Cyprus, I must admit that I have mixed feelings, because the sacrifices of the fighters of that period of course cause pain and sadness, but, at the same time, their ultimate sacrifice makes these feelings a beacon of patriotism, which shows the way of duty to the Nation. That same way of duty set by the struggles and the generations of heroes who fought and gave their own life for the liberation and the establishment of the Cypriot State.

The Sacred ground of Cyprus holds many children of Greece and Cyprus, who answered to the country’s call and heroically fell during the struggles of Cypriot Hellenism. They fell, each taking on the burden of History. A History which, since the days of Thermopylae, 1821, 1912-13, 1940, nourishes us and shows us the way in which we are obliged to defend, even to the death, our Freedom, our home, and the legacy of our forefathers.

Their self-sacrifice is the clay with which we shape a new generation of Greeks, who believe in the ultimate value of our country. Who believe that there are principles worth fighting for with the last drop of our blood and our last breath.

We, in Greece and Cyprus, have faced and will continue to face defence and security matters together. Greece will stand firmly by the side of Cyprus as its steadfast companion. The security of Cyprus is our security. The pain from the amputation of the island is our pain. The joys of Greek Cypriots for the progress and the successes of the Republic of Cyprus in all areas are our own joys.

Let us not forget that we are one Nation, with a common History and conscience. We want a free Cyprus, a people on its feet and proud. We will never take down our flags or our banners, for they have been consecrated with blood. We will never forget our heroes and their sacrifices.

We must carry on and continue our effort with all these things that, like a beacon, show us the way to notions such as duty, righteousness, national interest.

Our steadfast common goal is the termination of the Turkish occupation and the reunification of the island, within the framework of a mutually acceptable, fair, comprehensive, and permanent solution of the Cyprus issue.

This solution must be in line with the resolutions of the United Nations Security Council and the capacity of Cyprus as full member state of the European Union.

In conclusion, I would like to thank my friend, the Minister of Defence of Cyprus, Mr. Fokaides, and through him the Cypriot Government, by expressing my deepest appreciation of its work in preserving history.

I would also like to express my respect to the families of the deceased heroes, who are honouring us with their presence here today, whom I would like to assure, knowing the pain and agony they have suffered all these years, that we will continue the efforts to find the remains of all deceased heroes.

I would like to apologise to them for taking so long and assure them that the Hellenic Ministry of National Defence, by order of the Prime Minister and the Government, as well as with the support of all parties in the Parliament, and the Ministry of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, by order of the President of the Republic of Cyprus and the Government, will open all forgotten files and will award proper honours to those who fought and died for God and country.

Today we welcome the heroes and restore past injustices. A month ago I had the honour to decorate, together with the Alternate Minister of National Defence, Mr. Vitsas, the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, and the Chiefs of General Staff, Commodore Eleftherios Handrinos, the captain of LST LESVOS, which, despite orders after the invasion not to return to Cyprus, upon decision of the crew and the raiders on board, returned, fought, and managed to protect and keep Pafos free.

The General Staff of the Armed Forces have already started opening the 1974 files and proper honours will be awarded to those who fought and died for God and country, as well as to those who returned, but were never honoured by the country. Already the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff has taken actions and, by decision of the Supreme Air Council, all participants in Operation Nike will be decorated.

Tonight, we will have the honour, together with the Minister of Defence of Cyprus, to decorate the captain of patrol boat FAETHON, Dimitrios Mitsatsos, who, in 1964, with orders from the Hellenic Navy to conceal his identity, went to Cyprus. He was bombed by the Turkish Air Force, lost his arm and almost his entire crew, however he kept silent until today. His record in the Hellenic Navy only mentions his enlistment and discharge dates.

So, as is our obligation, we, as Hellenic State and Ministry of National Defence, will award proper honours to those who fought. We will do everything, in co-operation with the associations of missing persons – and at this point I would like to ask, on behalf of the Ministry of Defence of Cyprus, all families for assistance – in order to be able to identify with the new DNA methods all those who have not yet come home with the proper honours to their families and the Hellenic Armed Forces.”

“Dear friend, Minister, allow me to follow the protocol in order to avoid forgetting anyone of the honoured guests. Venerable representatives of the clergy, dear families of our heroes, please allow me a couple of words from the heart, because I cannot think of a more sacred moment, the moment when a hero comes home, dead, and yet immortal, because death for heroes is but another step in their lives.

And so it is a great honour to welcome heroes like those praised by Pericles, the brave Greeks who claim freedom and die for it. So this is a sacred moment as the dead heroes reunite with their relatives, their families who for decades have suffered the tragic loss of their loved ones, the lack of evidence, who went through what is probably the most tragic humanitarian aspect of the Cyprus issue and which for many more still goes on.

However, it is also a sacred moment, as heroes meet history. They are taken out of the long list of missing persons and written in golden letters on the brightest pages of the Nation’s History, with the honours that are appropriate to those who “never betraying what is right” guarded a Thermopylae.

The Cypriot State gave yesterday to the Hellenic State the remains of the six Greek heroes of the Cyprus tragedy, whose memory we honour here today. Here, today, in the metropolis of Hellenism, from the arms of the grateful Cyprus to the arms of their loved ones, their families, they can be buried with proper honours and according to our religious customs at their home.

Here, in the presence of the Church, the State, and the Army, Greece and Cyprus bow before the grandeur of their souls and their heroism. We are eternally grateful and reaffirm our promise to firmly continue the struggle to vindicate their sacrifice, the struggle for liberation, and the reunification of Cyprus.