The Cypriot people’s gratitude and pride for Greece’s support during these difficult times is expressed by the Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Georgios, speaking to “PARAPOLITIKA”.
Archbishop of Cyprus Georgios: In ’74 we waited for planes from Greece – we see them now
“Although the situation is not so pleasant due to the military conflict in our region, nevertheless we feel very proud, because what we have been waiting for all these years has been realized these days,” states Archbishop of Cyprus, His Beatitude Georgios and continues by saying that “in ’74 we looked to the sky to see the planes coming from Greece. We didn’t see them then, we see them now. We saw the frigates and this myth of Karamanlis that ‘Cyprus lies far away’ was shattered. So, we are very proud, satisfied and we hope God will help what has happened, which is essentially a unified defense doctrine, for Greece to cover Cyprus, to continue. Within the evil that has befallen the region, this is a very pleasant event for us”.
His Beatitude Georgios notes that “people have some concern, but not too great. What they feel is pride and gratitude towards Greece for this gesture made through the Defense Minister”.
Archbishop Georgios’ meeting with Nikos Dendias – What they discussed
Moreover, he reveals what he told the Greek National Defense Minister during their meeting in Nicosia a few days ago: “I met with Mr. Dendias. What I’m telling you, I also told him. This translates into a unified defense doctrine between Cyprus and Greece and we hope it won’t be applied only during these days, but implemented more generally. And I think we speak the same language”.
“We consider ourselves part of the Nation”
Regarding the military operations in the Middle East, the Archbishop emphasizes that “we feel the war is far from us. We have some concern, to be ready to react. But it’s far away. The enemy is different for us, it’s the Turk who is inside Cyprus. We thank the Greek people and the Church and the government for their support. I hope it continues. We don’t consider ourselves foreigners. If we were foreigners, we would ask for help with much caution and much restraint. Now, because we consider ourselves part of the Nation, we demand that the Nation protects us”, he concludes.
