Cyprus honoured the victims of the two world wars in a solemn ceremony held in Nicosia on Saturday, November 11, known as Remembrance Day.
The ceremony organised by the Municipality of Nicosia was held at the monument commemorating the Cypriot volunteers who lost their lives in the second world war in the presence of the President of the Republic Nikos Christodoulides.
In statements after the ceremony, Christodoulides said given the fact that two conflicts are ongoing in Ukraine and the Middle East ‘sadly we have not received the messages of the first and second world wars.’
He added that it is important to honour the fallen but most important is to proceed with the necessary actions so to avert such events and developments.
Chief of the National Guard, Lieutenant-General Georgios Tsitsikostas said that the sacrifice of millions of people, including fellow Cypriot volunteers, finds the members of the Armed Forces facing similar challenges as the reappearance of revisionist forces, the return of war in Europe and the developments in our neighbourhood prove that peace cannot be considered as given.
He added that Cyprus had a huge voluntary contribution in the second world war with thousands of volunteers from all religious and ethnic groups of the island.
Ttsitsikostas recalled that the Cypriot regiment comprising 12,250 Cypriots whereas the Cypriot volunteer corps numbered 5,000 men while approximately 800 women enlisted in the British Auxiliary Territorial Service) and the Royal Airforce.
Constantinos Yiorkadjis, Mayor Nicosia, said that Cyprus ranks first globally in terms of the number of volunteers in relation to its population with more than 20,000 volunteers Greek Cypriot, Turkish Cypriots, Armenians, Maronites and Latins. He added however that Cyprus paid a heavy price as 373 men and one woman are buried in 72 military cemeteries in Cyprus and other 23 countries.
Source: Cyprus News Agency