Cyprus Defence Minister Christoforos Fokaides has said that the current division of Cyprus cannot be accepted as a de facto reality, and stressed that “it is high time for us to undertake our responsibilities and realise that we have reached a very crucial point in our history.”
In his speech during a memorial for EOKA hero Grigoris Afxentiou, held at the Monastery of Macheras, Fokaides said that “we will either take initiatives to determine developments in favour of our country or we will leave others to determine them, with unpredictable consequences for Hellenism.”
EOKA was the organization of Cypriot fighters who led the 1955-59 anti-colonial struggle. Located near the Monastery, about 40 km from Nicosia, is a hideout where Afxentiou gave in 1957 his last battle against the British and sacrificed his life.
Cyprus gained its independence in 1960. The island has been divided since 1974, when Turkish troops invaded and occupied 37% of its territory.