Speech at the funeral of the remains of hero comrade Stelios Kyriacou

 

Speech of Georgos Loucaides, Member of the Political Bureau of the C.C. 
AKEL

C.C. Press Office, 24th October 2014, Nicosia

 

 

Dear relatives of the Hero Stelios Kyriacou,

 

Dear friends,

 

The community of Alambra within the space of just a few months is mourning yet another of its worthy sons who sacrificed his life defending our homeland. Today we bid the final farewell to Stylianos Kyriacou who was murdered by the invaders of the Turkish army in that black summer of 1974. Stelios at the age of 32 and father of four children, sacrificed that was is most percious, namely his very life, selflessly serving the noblest ideals of freefom and democracy.

 

Srelios was born in Alambra 1942 and was the youngest of the five children of the large family of Kyriacos and Tsikina, his father and mother respectively. He lost his father at an early age when he was just two years old, while his mother died with the pain and anguish about the fate of her youngest son, whose fate was missing since 14th August 1974.

 

An orphan from an early age, Stelios began working at a very young age to make ends meet. From childhood he started working on construction sites. In 1964 he married Kyriaki Avraam and straight after their wedding he enlisted in the National Guard to fulfil his military service. Stelios and Kyriaki had four children. When the black summer of 1974 came, he left to fight at the frontline of the battle, leaving behind his children aged from two to eight years old.

 

Strelios, as those who were lucky enough to have known him closely, was a hard-working man who loved and cared greatly about his family. He was raised with the ideals of the Left. He was an active member of AKEL and the Local Organisation of the class trade union of PEO in Alambra, whilst at the same time playing in the local football team of the EDON Youth Organisation and training smaller children as a coach. His activity didn’t stop there. He left his own mark in the Theatrical Group and Folklore Dancing Group of the People’s Movement of the Left in Alambra, participating in all the activities with great enthusiasm.

 

With the beginning of the Turkish invasion on 20th July 1974, Stelios enlisted in the National Guard to fulfil his duty to the homeland. He signed up in the village of Dali, at the 305 Infantry Battalion, under the command of Major Tasos Markou. His battalion was assigned to Mia Milia village near the Koutseventis mountain. On 13th August he was given leave to visit his family. This was the last time his wife and four children saw him. On his return to the battalion, the next day the second round of the Turkish invasion commenced.

 

His remeains were found scattered on a mountain hillside of Koutseventis, following information given by a sheperd who had found a skull. The remains of another four youngsters from Alambra were found at the same site who also died defending our country from the invading Turkish army.

 

The sacrifice of Stelios and his other fellow-villagers, as the sacrifice of thousands of our compatriots too, regretfully could not prevent the double crime committed against our homeland.

 

40 years after 1974, the wounds from the American-inspired fascist coup d’etat and EOKA B and the subsequent barbarious Turkish invasion are still open and bleeding. The blood, the pain, tears, the tragedy our people suffered accompany us even to this day, since we are still burying our dead…

 

We are still confronted with the flag of the occupation on the Pendadactylos mountain range. The refugees, those still alive, remain refugees and the enclaved people in the occupied areas are still enclaved. The relatives of the missing persons are still suffering from the agony for the fate of their beloved ones who are missing. And for those whose remains have been verified by the method of DNA, such as Stelios who we are laying to rest here today, the pain of the relatives that accompanied them always has been revived and the anguish has been replaced by a huge question – why?

 

Four entire decades have elapsed and the struggle for the liberation and reunification of our country and people, Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots, is continuing.

 

The vision for a free, peaceful and prosperous Cyprus has not only not been realised, but new hardships and tribulations have been added to our martyred people.

 

One such ordeal is what we are experiencing currently as a result of Turkey’s intolerable provocation and aggressiveness towards the Republic of Cyprus and its sovereign rights in Cyprus’ Exclusive Economic Zone, with Turkey seeking through a neo-Ottoman mentality to create faits acomplis which are the worst since the illegal delaration of the psuedo-state in the occupied areas in November 1983.

 

The many eyars of unsuccesful attempts at finding a solution of the Cyprus problem, Turkey’s military might and superiority, its powerful NATO protectors and allies, Turkey’s aggressive policy and intransigence must not under any circumstances lead us to abandon the struggle for the reunification of our homeland.

 

On the contrary, no matter how big the difficulties and obstacles may be in our struggle, it is our minimum debt to our heroes who sacrificed their lives for the defence of democracy, independence and freedommof Cyprus, to never compromise with the occupation and partition.

 

At the same time it is our primary duty to hand over to our children and the generations to come a homeland without barbed wires of division, without military threats and dangers and without the flagrant violation of human rights and basic freedoms.

 

To maximise the prospects of repulsing Turkey’s aggressiveness and damping its intransigence so that the road for a just under the circumstances viable and workable solution of the Cyprus problem can be opened up, collectivity and unity is demanded on the basis of an agreed strategic goal for a bi-zonal bi-communal federation. Consistency and steadfastness on the basic principles of the solution and flexibility regarding tactics is required, far from any dangerous political adveturisms and petty-party considerations and expediencies.

 

The utilisation of alliances and converging international interests are needed through the implementation of a multifaceted foreing policy that will not be characterised by illussions and ideological obsessions. The strengthening of the policy of rapprochement and popular mobilisations are demanded, aiming at the forging of a common front of Greek Cypriots and Turkish Cypriots  for the solution of the Cyprus problem, against the partitionist occupational status quo.

 

Only in this way can we validly be optimistic that the sun of justice will rise over our much-troubled island and the bells will ring for the freedom of our people. Only then can we hope that the wounds on Cyprus’ body will at last heal and the sacrifice of Stelios Kyriacou, and all those who sacrificed their lives for the defence of the homeland, will be vindicated.

 

May the memory of Stelios Kyriacou live on!

 

Honour and Glory to our Heroes!