Since yesterday, when I was in your city, dear Alexandropolitans, but also in the wider region, dear Hebrite-Fracians, I feel a growing excitement. I go from emotion to emotion. I am discovering the values and higher ideals that characterize your lives. The religious and national character of your events is strong, write this morning as well. Tonight the atmosphere is especially emotional, and the gravity gravitates toward Panagia, the defensive general and protector of our nation.
The Greek people are religious by nature. This religiosity it especially emphasized in its military expeditions. While in the darkness of ignorance, he invoked the Pallas. And when he was freed from the delusion of idolatry, he made the Cross his battle banner and the Virgin Mary his protector.
I am happy to observe your events, the peculiarity of which is that they are held in close proximity to the Greek-Turkish border and convey the message of your willingness to defend the integrity of the homeland as well as to protect it from the forces of illegal immigrants who are trying to change and destabilize the society of us.
We, your Cypriot brothers, are like you in these characteristics. Acrites of Hellenism, we too have an obligation to protect both the spiritual and geographical Thermopylae of Hellenism. Except, That the moonless night of slavery still continues for us, and the threat and danger of total occupation and Turkification of the mega-island continues in everyone's hearts. But we are confident that with the support of God, the support of the Nation and our struggle, the time of liberation will come for us as well.
For two thousand years now, with the meeting of Christianity and Hellenism, we have identified the national and Christian consciousness and singled out sacrifice for faith and country as man's greatest achievement. And since the boundaries of the two dimensions, Hellenism and Christianity, became unbreakable when the nation succumbed to higher powers and was enslaved, the Church became the germ and support, the hope and nurturer of the struggle for its revival.
It is for this reason, despite the fact that "the great mourning of Cyprus is going on", for half a century now, even though 37% of our land has been occupied and desecrated by the Turks, even though our churches have been desecrated and we have been kept from our homes by force of arms, and even though Turkey does not hide its goal of complete occupation and Turkization of Cyprus, we participate in the celebrations of the anniversary of the liberation of your city. We are well aware that only in this way, living the national ideals and setting an example from the past, it is possible to thwart the Turkish plans and achieve the liberation of our special homeland.
The example for us is your own struggle and The struggle of the entire Nation. Conventionally, we say that four hundred years of slavery (and for you much more) failed to disorient the Nation.
On the contrary, there have been four hundred years of uninterrupted preparation for the realization of its national idea; And we will not be deterred by the misery of 50 years of occupation. We will hold on to our faith in God, our principles and ideals, and redemption will come to us as well. Our centuries of religious experience teaches us that "he who is on chariots, he who is on horses, but we exalt ourselves in the name of the Lord our God." God will strengthen our joint nationwide efforts. God helps those who help themselves.
Once again, I congratulate you on today's great anniversary. And I thank you both for the invitation and for your willingness to accompany us in the struggle for the liberation of Cyprus.
The Greek people are religious by nature. This religiosity it especially emphasized in its military expeditions. While in the darkness of ignorance, he invoked the Pallas. And when he was freed from the delusion of idolatry, he made the Cross his battle banner and the Virgin Mary his protector.
I am happy to observe your events, the peculiarity of which is that they are held in close proximity to the Greek-Turkish border and convey the message of your willingness to defend the integrity of the homeland as well as to protect it from the forces of illegal immigrants who are trying to change and destabilize the society of us.
We, your Cypriot brothers, are like you in these characteristics. Acrites of Hellenism, we too have an obligation to protect both the spiritual and geographical Thermopylae of Hellenism. Except, That the moonless night of slavery still continues for us, and the threat and danger of total occupation and Turkification of the mega-island continues in everyone's hearts. But we are confident that with the support of God, the support of the Nation and our struggle, the time of liberation will come for us as well.
For two thousand years now, with the meeting of Christianity and Hellenism, we have identified the national and Christian consciousness and singled out sacrifice for faith and country as man's greatest achievement. And since the boundaries of the two dimensions, Hellenism and Christianity, became unbreakable when the nation succumbed to higher powers and was enslaved, the Church became the germ and support, the hope and nurturer of the struggle for its revival.
It is for this reason, despite the fact that "the great mourning of Cyprus is going on", for half a century now, even though 37% of our land has been occupied and desecrated by the Turks, even though our churches have been desecrated and we have been kept from our homes by force of arms, and even though Turkey does not hide its goal of complete occupation and Turkization of Cyprus, we participate in the celebrations of the anniversary of the liberation of your city. We are well aware that only in this way, living the national ideals and setting an example from the past, it is possible to thwart the Turkish plans and achieve the liberation of our special homeland.
The example for us is your own struggle and The struggle of the entire Nation. Conventionally, we say that four hundred years of slavery (and for you much more) failed to disorient the Nation.
On the contrary, there have been four hundred years of uninterrupted preparation for the realization of its national idea; And we will not be deterred by the misery of 50 years of occupation. We will hold on to our faith in God, our principles and ideals, and redemption will come to us as well. Our centuries of religious experience teaches us that "he who is on chariots, he who is on horses, but we exalt ourselves in the name of the Lord our God." God will strengthen our joint nationwide efforts. God helps those who help themselves.
Once again, I congratulate you on today's great anniversary. And I thank you both for the invitation and for your willingness to accompany us in the struggle for the liberation of Cyprus.
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