The responsibility to ensure the future of the ‘Cypriot Hellenism’ during this critical period stressed Health Minister Popi Kanari on Sunday.

Kanari was speaking at the memorial service of soldier Heraklis Christofi Agathokleous, a missing person since the 1974 invasion whose remains were identified in 2017.

In her memorial speech at the Church of Saint Tychonas on Sunday morning, Kanari pointed out that “the period we are going through is particularly critical, and our responsibility is to restore historical continuity in our homeland to secure the future of Cypriot Hellenism.”

She reaffirmed that the ultimate goal remains the resolution of the Cyprus issue, leading to the reunification of our island.

The minister assured that “the President of the Republic of Cyprus is working towards restarting negotiations, aiming for developments that will elevate European citizens of Cyprus to first-class citizens, who will not be deprived of basic human rights and fundamental freedoms in their homeland.”

Kanari also referred to the paramount obligation of everyone to keep alive the memory of the sacrifices made by our heroes. She said Cypriots should honour those who fought or fell heroically, obeying the homeland’s command in critical times.

“We must not forget that the heroic children of our homeland fought and gave the most precious thing they had – their lives – defending our land, our sacred places, and our values, continuing a centuries-old tradition,” the minister stressed.

In this challenging but redemptive journey for a solution, Heraklis Agathokleous will accompany us from the pantheon of heroes, along with all the heroes of the Cypriot tragedy of ’74, together with all those who gave their lives for the homeland in the national struggles, the minister said.

Agathokleous, a member of the 286th Motorised Infantry, whose traces were lost on August 15, 1974, in the region between the villages of Kontemenos and Skylloura. His remains were identified using DNA analysis in the summer of 2017, and his funeral took place on September 17, 2017, in Saint Tychonas.