In the presence of Alternate Minister of Foreign Affairs Miltiadis Varvitsiotis, the National Holiday of October 28 was celebrated today in Cyprus amid much pomp.
Mr. Varvitsiotis represented the Prime Minister in the festive events and attended the student parade that took place in front of the Greek Embassy in Nicosia, in the presence of the President of the Republic of Cyprus, Nicos Anastasiades, His Beatitude Archbishop of New Justinian and All Cyprus, Chrysostomos II, and the President of the House of Representatives, Ms. Annita Demetriou.
Immediately after the parade, he made the following statement:
“Many happy returns for the National Holiday! Many happy returns to Cypriot Hellenism, many happy returns to Greece! Today, conveying the greetings, the wishes and having the honour to represent Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis in this glorious celebration, I want, first of all, to warmly thank the great Greek Cypriot youth who paraded flying our flags.
It is important to honour our ancestors, to be aware that nothing has been granted us and that in all national struggles we should be united; united, so as to achieve what we want. And this is to live in an environment of security and peace and to finally see the final solution of the national issue of Cyprus, on the basis of a just and viable solution.
Many happy returns for the National Holiday and a very big thank you for the emotion offered to us by the student youth of Cyprus.”
Responding to a question about Turkey’s destabilizing role, the Alternate Minister said that we are used to Turkey increasing the level of tension every time it is under pressure. However, as he pointed out, “in the face of Turkish challenges, Greece has been prepared at every level”. “Greece has been prepared through bilateral and trilateral cooperation and partnerships – many of them with Cyprus – it has prepared the ground, together with Cyprus, within the European Union, has sent messages to its transatlantic friends and partners and has proceeded to implement a serious armaments program after a decade of absence from the procurement of weapon systems. This, in order to send a clear message that Greece is a country that supports stability and security in the region and in no case will it tolerate any provocative action that undermines its sovereign rights. Of course, the same applies to the Republic of Cyprus, with which we are in full solidarity”, he concluded.
Afterwards, Mr. Varvitsiotis visited the Hellenic Force in Cyprus (ELDYK), where he laid a wreath at the ELDYK Memorial Park. After given a tour of the Greek Military Museum, he expressed to the men and women of ELDYK his emotion and pride for being there and congratulated them on their competent work. As he characteristically said, while addressing the ELDYK officials, “you carry on your shoulders a large part of the duty to defend Cypriot Hellenism” and also stressed that all those who died fighting during the Turkish invasion of 1974 deserve honour, glory and respect.
Earlier in the morning, the Alternate Minister attended the Divine Liturgy at the St. Varnavas Cathedral in Nicosia, celebrated by His Beatitude Archbishop Chrysostomos II. Mr. Varvitsiotis also had a meeting at noon with the President of the Democratic Rally party, Averof Neofytou.