In the summer of 1974, 2,647 U/K were captured and half were taken to Turkey

According to the records of the International Red Cross, in the summer of 1974, 2,647 of our compatriots, most of whom were civilians, were captured and about half of them were transferred to prisons in Turkey, Presidential Commissioner Fotis Fotiou said on Thursday,  in greeting at the awarding ceremony of the winners of the art competition for the construction of the 1974 Prisoners of War Memorial, at the Agonos Museum, in Nicosia.

Mr. Fotiou said that Cyprus is still experiencing the tragic consequences of the betrayal of the coup d'état which brought destruction by the Turkish Attila, the loss and disappearance of thousands of lives, the capture, refugee and confinement of many others and the occupation of 37.5% of our territories, the destruction of our sanctuaries and saints.

The Commissioner said that continuing the effort to solve the primarily humanitarian problem of our missing persons, which remains and is the most tragic aspect of the drama experienced by our country since then, we are faced with Turkish aggression, as it has extended throughout the region of the Eastern Mediterranean and not only.

“Revisionism and the entire aggressive and blackmailing tactics of Ankara, however, does not bend our attitude and will to justify the sacrifice of all our heroes and martyrs. “The burden of our historical responsibility remains and is strengthened. Our unchanging goal is the redemption of our betrayed and wronged people. Ensuring the survival of Cypriot Hellenism where History has ordered it, which cannot in any way be written off or ignored,” he said. .

Mr. Fotiou said that the construction of the monument to the prisoners of war of 1974 is a tribute due to our compatriots who lived through all the chaos of the war, having been captured as prisoners on the battlefields or as civilians in their places of residence, and then experiencing all the barbarity and ferocity of Attila.

The monument will be erected near the Ledra Palace.&nbsp ;First prize in the competition went to Christos Hatzichristou and Kyriakos Miltiadou.