Nicosia, Cyprus. President Nikos Christodoulides on Wednesday used the anniversary of the start of the Eoka struggle to stress the importance of historical awareness in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. He also said his message was directed to Turkey, Turkish Cypriots and Great Britain.
Commemoration at the Imprisoned Graves
Speaking after a memorial service and wreath-laying ceremony at the Imprisoned Graves, Christodoulides described the 1955-59 anti-colonial campaign as “the most pure, moral and honest struggle of Cypriot Hellenism”.
Lessons highlighted from the Eoka struggle
Christodoulides said two key lessons from the Eoka struggle were the selflessness of those who took part in the “national struggle” and the need for historical knowledge as a foundation for future political efforts.
Eoka (The national organisation of Cypriot fighters) fought a campaign for the end of British rule in Cyprus, and for eventual union (enosis) with Greece.
Historical education and the Cyprus problem
“The clergy and the people, united, believed in a sacred goal… and led us to what we have today – the Republic of Cyprus, the most important asset we possess,” he said.
Christodoulides said educating younger generations about the struggle was essential and linked this directly to ongoing efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem. “Achieving our goals requires knowledge of our true history,” he said, adding that such knowledge “does not in any way act against a possible solution”.
He said the viability of any settlement depends “to a large extent on the recognition of historical truth and certainly not on self-negation”.
Message to Ankara, Turkish Cypriots and Britain
The president said Cyprus continues its “great effort for liberation, for ending the occupation and reunifying our homeland”.
Asked whether his comments were directed at Ankara and the Turkish Cypriot leadership, which have at times described Eoka as a terrorist organisation, Christodoulides said they were. “It is a message to our Turkish Cypriot compatriots, to Turkey, and to Great Britain,” he said.
How do you view the role of historical education in efforts to resolve the Cyprus problem?
