Numerous officials and families paid their respects in a sombre repatriation ceremony at the Elefsina Air Base honouring six Greek soldiers from the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974.
The ceremony was held on Tuesday and included full military honours and a memorial service in honour of the identified fallen soldiers who, until recently, had been listed as missing in action.
Greece’s Defence Minister Nikos Dendias attended the event, saying:
“Today, Greece fulfills a historic duty and does what is self-evident: it renders due honour to the dead and justice to their families. After decades of waiting, we repatriate the remains of six soldiers who heroically fell during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus, returning them to their homeland.”
Dendias highlighted that honouring fallen soldiers is a long-standing tradition in Hellenism, recalling the condemnation that fell on victorious Athenian generals after the Battle of Arginusae in 406 BC for failing to retrieve their dead due to a storm.
He also referred to the Ark of National Memory at the Ministry of National Defence, a monument by sculptor Kostas Varotsos engraved with the names of all of modern Greece’s fallen in action.
“For five decades, the search and identification of Cyprus’ missing persons has been a national priority,” Dendias said.
“Today, our hearts and thoughts are with the families of the fallen, and we deeply respect the pain of their long wait.”
It is estimated that over 80 Greek soldiers, NCOs and officers went missing after the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in July 1974 and the subsequent military conflict that lasted a little under a month.
