Archbishop: Paphos overturned the junta’s plans

Archbishop Georgios on Monday night said it was Paphos which “overturned the junta’s plans”.

Paphos, he said, “rescued Makarios and allowed him to flee abroad to defend the interests of Cyprus from there, to save what could be saved and maintain the hope of liberation.”

He was speaking at an event organised by the Diocese of Paphos and added his “deepest appreciation and gratitude” for those who fought in Paphos against the coupists in 1974.

“The peak moment of this resistance was July 15, 1974, but even before that point, the Paphos fighters’ union was important,” he added.

Turning his attention to the present day, he said “it is necessary at this moment to realise the danger we are facing and to take responsibility.”

“Talks for the sake of talks and yet more concessions to resume talks are no way to promote our national issue. On the contrary, the Turks codify all of our retreats,” he said.

He said that today, “we need to ignore our differences and listen to the voice of Makarios.”

“Today, more than ever, we need a fighting symbol and a national leader,” he added, saying, “Makarios had mentioned that the legalisation of past events will stimulate Turkish voracity and encourage Turkey’s expansionist plans in Cyprus. Makarios’ words were prophetic,” he said.

He said Greek Cypriots had “transferred responsibility for the occupation to our own side, since we engaged in endless intercommunal talks, and we did not announce to the outside world that our problem is a problem of invasion and occupation.”

“We freed Turkey from holding responsibility for the occupation. The result is the reversal of terms by attributing to us accusations of intransigence and reluctance to solve the problem by making demands that we dissolve our state,” he said.

He added, “it is clear, and Makarios was constantly saying this, that the fight for liberation is not fought by constantly bowing down.”

“If we accept the unacceptable, we should not expect that foreigners will come to help us on their own,” he said.