Cypriot Defense Minister Won't Accept Nation's Divide

In a speech Fokaides urged that, "it is high time for us to undertake our responsibilities and realise that we have reached a very crucial point in our history," as reported by Parikiaki.

The Defense Minister spoke at EOKA hero Grigoris Afxentiou's memorial and added, "we will either take initiatives to determine developments in favor of our country or we will leave others to determine them, with unpredictable consequences for Hellenism."

EOKA served as the Cypriot fighting organization who spearheaded the anti-colonial mission between 1955 to 1959. Afxentiou died while defending Cyprus against Great Britain in 1957, before the island became independent in 1960. However, 37% of its northern territory has been illegally occupied by Turkey since 1974.