A nationwide trail of memorials linked to the 1974 invasion of Cyprus is being planned in Greece, the office of the Presidential Commissioner has announced.
The initiative, led by Cyprus’s ambassador in Athens, Stavros Avgoustidis, with the active involvement of Presidential Commissioner Marios Hartsiotis, aims to record and promote existing monuments, groves and parks dedicated to the missing and fallen heroes of the 1974 tragedy.
The ambassador has held talks with the Central Union of Municipalities of Greece (KEDE), which has already written to municipalities across the country inviting them to take part.
The first step is to catalogue existing memorial sites in order to build a full picture of the monuments and places of historical reference in municipalities throughout Greece.
The project also provides for the further promotion and upkeep of existing sites, the creation of new memorials, and the naming of streets, squares and schools after Cyprus-related causes, with the aim of forming a wider national network of historical memory.
Sites included in the trail would serve as organised points of historical memory, education and culture, helping to pass on knowledge to younger generations.
Information plaques would be installed at suitable locations, giving details of key events, figures and aspects of Cypriot Hellenism’s history. Visitors would also be able to scan QR codes to access digital content and archive photographs.
The announcement said the initiative also seeks to strengthen the ties between Cyprus and Greece, with particular emphasis on keeping alive the memory of the fallen and the unresolved humanitarian issue of the missing.
Mr Hartsiotis and Mr Avgoustidis will continue their contacts on the next practical steps, with the aim of giving the Memory Trail an organised nationwide presence.
