It was inaugurated on Thursday afternoon on Efterpis Street in Strovolos Park in memory of the founder of EDEK, Vassos Lyssaridis, by the former President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopi Pavlopoulos and the President of EDEK, Marino Sizopoulos, in the presence of friends and members of of local government, organizations, as well as the Greek Embassy in Cyprus.
The Vassos Lyssaridis Park, in which a marble column has been placed in memory of the historical leader of EDEK, was inaugurated in the Municipality of Strovolos one day before the realization of its first political memorial. After the consecration performed by the Metropolitan of Paphos George, the Mayor of Strovolos, Andreas Papacharalambous, Marinos Sizopoulos and Prokopis Pavlopoulos addressed a greeting.
Minimal tribute to Vassos Lyssaridis, said the Mayor of Strovolos
In his greeting, the Mayor of Strovolos stated that It is no coincidence that people from various political backgrounds honored the memory of Vassos Lyssaridis with their presence at the inauguration, since “his love for man, his involvement with art and poetry, made him attractive even to people ideologically opposed with him “.
“Given the size of the man, the City Council and I personally, considered it our duty to honor the memory of this fighter for democracy and freedom,” said Mr. Papacharalambous.
He added that “the naming of this park, which is dedicated to his memory, is a small tribute to Vassos Lyssaridis, proving in practice the role of the local authority.” He said he was confident that “this decision will contribute at the local level to preserving the memory of the doctor, but will also be a source of inspiration for all of us, so that we can draw from the example of the visionary Vassos Lyssaridis.”
< p class = "text-paragraph">He also noted that the life of Vassos Lyssaridis was dedicated “to his place, to justice and freedom”, although, as he added, his struggles so far have not yielded results. “The doctor was largely vindicated for his positions afterwards, as his attitude has repeatedly been shown to be correct by historical developments,” Papacharalambous said.
& # 8216; Vassos Lyssaridis left his mark, Sizopoulos said
Marinos Sizopoulos thanked the Municipal Council and the Mayor of Strovolos for the decision to name the park in memory of Vassos Lyssaridis, “an emblematic figure in the field, not only of politics, but also of medicine,” from the podium. of poetry and painting “, as he said.
He also said that with his struggles, the founder of EDEK left his mark on the Cypriot history, as well as on the wider Hellenism. “In the difficult circumstances we are going through, his legacies remain alive, and they carry a heavy burden on us to continue the struggle until the liberation of our homeland,” he added.
He also thanked Prokopis Pavlopoulos, who accepted the invitation for the inauguration and to be the main speaker at the first political memorial of Vassos Lyssaridis, as well as for his stance on the Cyprus issue.
“Over time, through his struggles, through his attitudes and interventions, he has given us a mark of national pride, a stability of positions regarding Turkish expansion and especially regarding the struggle of our peoples for the liberation of our homeland. “, He said, referring to Mr. Pavlopoulos. Closing his greeting, he assured EDEK for the continuation of the games “without deviations, retreats, discounts”.
The park is named after a great & # 8216 ; Greek, said Prokopis Pavlopoulos
In his greeting, Prokopis Pavlopoulos said that “on this island we all learn what Hellenism means, what unity means, what the course of a nation means”. He added, in fact, that in Cyprus he remembers “that here the heart of the nation beats”, something that, as he said, we should all know. Referring to the park, he stressed that “it bears the name of a great Greek, a real modern Teukros”, referring to lyrics by George Seferis.
He also mentioned that the park area “will remind us that he will always be close to us, to inspire and teach us, to give us the strength to fight under conditions of strong unity”, reminding that “when he was called to fight in EOKA, bypassed any ideological difference, and as a member of AKEL demanded the creation of the organization of left patriots “.
” In these difficult times we live in the barbaric invasion of Russia in Ukraine, We Greeks from this martyr island do not forget that barbarism started from here, especially after the Second World War. “Here, as Hellenism, we experienced two barbarities, the British and the Turkish,” said Mr. Pavlopoulos. He added that “we must send the big message that the National Uprising has completed 200 years but it is not over yet, we will continue it until the last Turkish invader and settler leaves”. He concluded that “it's up to us to fight to end slavery and this second barbarism.”
After the opening of the park, a visit to the Vassos Lyssaridis Foundation followed, where the visitors were guided through the entire collection of the founder of EDEK.
