Source: CNA
If we want to move forward, we must be honest, Cyprus President, Nikos Christodoulides, said on Monday, after a memorial service for those who fell during the July 15, 1974 coup of the Greek junta against President of Cyprus, Archbishop Makarios. He pointed out at the same time that “I am not here to give a pardon to anyone”.
In his statements to journalists following the memorial service in Nicosia and a prayer at the graves of those fallen during the coup, President Christodoulides said, “We are here to honor all those who fought to defend what is most important to us, which is the Republic of Cyprus”.
"I am not here to give a pardon to anyone." -President Christodoulides
“We are here to condemn the treacherous coup in the strongest possible way”, he said, noting that, “there are no excuses”. At the same time, he said, it was important for everyone involved in the public debate of the country, to “be very careful” “to ensure that this kind of conditions never occur again”.
Asked by a journalist if a government wreath was also placed on the graves of soldiers who participated in the coup, President Christodoulides said “I am not here to give a pardon to anyone”.
At the same time, he said, 50 years later, as the first President of the Republic of Cyprus born during that period, he wanted to be “completely honest”. “Of course there are responsibilities. But at the same time, I have to be honest and bold towards the Cypriot people”, he added, noting that, within the context of the “olive branch” which Archbishop Makarios had “rightly”, extended, “the real culprits of the coup, the collaborators of the junta in Cyprus have not been punished and we all believe that with this behavior, we are punishing the real culprits”.
“We all know who the real culprits were, the “olive branch” was used to protect them”, he said, noting that, if we truly wanted these anniversaries to teach us a lesson, “we must look into the eyes of the Cypriot people and not hide behind repeated slogans”. So, he continued, “If we want to move forward, we must also be honest”.
Cyprus has been divided since 1974 when Turkey invaded and occupied its northern third. Repeated rounds of UN-led peace talks have so far failed to yield results. The latest round of negotiations, in July 2017 at the Swiss resort of Crans-Montana ended inconclusively. UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres appointed María Ángela Holguín Cuéllar of Colombia as his personal envoy for Cyprus, to assume a Good Offices role on his behalf and search for common ground on the way forward in the Cyprus issue.
