The Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos completed his official visit to Cyprus, where he represented the Government at the anniversary events for the completion of 62 years since the declaration of Independence of the Republic of Cyprus, on October 1, 1960.

He attended the events and the Chief GEETHA General Konstantinos Floros.

Before the parade, the Minister of National Defense laid a wreath at the Imprisoned Monuments, the Democracy and Resistance Monument and the statue of Archbishop Makarios III.

Afterwards, Mr. Panagiotopoulos attended the Military Parade and addressed the following greeting:

“Ladies and gentlemen,

With honor and emotion, we participate today in the celebrations of the 62nd Anniversary of the Independence of the Republic of Cyprus.

An Independence won with struggles, heroism and sacrifices by the Cypriot people, which are reflected in the words of the hero Michalakis Karaolis: “Greek children don’t just know how to live. They also know how to die. And how to honor the Motherland”.

The active, timeless and powerful vision of the Cypriot Fighters for freedom and independence is for all of us, for all of Hellenism, an inexhaustible of inspiration and determination and paves the way for our common path.

Our goal is, I repeat it once again, a fair and sustainable solution to the Cyprus issue based on the successive Resolutions of the Security Council and the European acquis. A solution with full sovereignty, full independence and territorial integrity, without barbed wire, without the wall dividing the Island, erected by the invader and without, of course, its illegal military occupation, which blatantly violates the fundamental principles of International Law.

The unprovoked Russian invasion of Ukraine reminds the international community that, in post-war Europe, Cyprus was also the recipient of the barbaric Turkish attack and invasion – remember it was another special strategic operation for peaceful purposes, supposedly – and of course it underlines the need to unequivocally condemn all forces of revisionism, which violate the Charter of the United Nations.

These revisionist and destabilizing attitudes of Turkey, which question the sovereign rights of Greece and Cyprus, threaten Greece with a casus belli and call for the demilitarization of our islands – as if they are not threatened, as if we do not have the right to take all the measures of defense for them – are not only unfounded and unacceptable, but also undermine good neighborly relations, peace and stability in our wider region. And it is now time for the world to realize that revisionism and expansionism of any nature threaten not only one or two target states but this same regional peace and stability, why not global peace and stability. And I think the whole world is slowly realizing it.

Today, we are called to face together these common challenges, threats, and revisionist attitudes of Turkey and Russia and work to deepen our fraternal strategic relationship and defense cooperation.

At the same time, we are making stronger every day the alliances we have built with the states of our wider region, so that Greece and Cyprus are factors of peace, security and stability in the Eastern Mediterranean.

Our alliances at the European, regional and international level are always based on International Law and the principle of good neighbourliness, strengthen our deterrent capacity and above all cultivate the spirit of friendship and cooperation between nations.

Today our strong, modern and combat-worthy Armed Forces continue the glorious struggle of Auxentios, Pallikaridis, Isaac, Solomon and so many other heroic fighters and guarantee our Freedom and Independence and our solidarity in the defense of our national interests.

In closing, I would like to express my warmest congratulations to the participants and organizers of this brilliant parade that we have just witnessed. And to wish everyone a happy birthday to everyone, happy birthday to the beautiful, proud, free Cyprus.

Thank you”.

On the sidelines of the events, the Minister of National Defense had talks with the President of the House of Representatives Mrs. Annita Dimitriouits Cypriot counterpart Mr. Charalambo Petridisthe Cypriot Minister of Foreign Affairs Mr. Ioannis Kasoulidis and the Chief of the National Guard Lieutenant General Democritus Zervakis.