"There have been developments in the case of the murders of the heroes Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomos," said the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, who received dozens of motorcyclists—members of the Isaac – Solomou, noting at the same time that the government is doing everything it must regarding those responsible for the murders of the two heroes.

Speaking to the group of Initiative members, the President of the Republic said, “I would like to welcome you to the Presidential Palace upon your return from your trip to Greece. A trip that I followed daily through the press, but even more so through social media.”

He added, “I was following your journey, and the first thing that came to mind was that what you were doing was just like the trip Evagoras Pallikarides took in school, in which he describes the most wonderful journey of his life—when he went to Greece with his classmates and on their return from that trip. My father was a classmate of Pallikaridis; he was on that same trip to Greece, and he often told me about that trip and how they felt.”

He also pointed out that “the second thing that made a particular impression on me as I watched your march was the route you took. The route was very well-planned,” and he congratulated those who designed it.

He added that “the third thing I wanted to say is that you’ve been doing this since 2008; we have a duty to honor the memory of Isaac and Solomos; it is the very least we can do, what we are obligated to do as a society, as a nation, the very least is to honor their memory, but we will truly honor their memory if we follow their examples.”

The President of the Republic referred to the sacrifice of Isaac and Solomos, who were guided by their values and ideals, noting that “they sacrificed themselves for specific causes and specific ideals, and if we truly wish to honor their memory, we must follow their example. What they were fighting for was nothing more than the freedom to move about their country as any citizen of a European state does.

They fought for the liberation of this country and an end to the occupation. And these ideals, the principles and values that drove them to take those specific actions, are what continue to guide our struggle to this day. If we truly wish to honor their memory, we must continue their struggle.

I want to say that for us, for our government, what happened in August 1996—the murders that took place, because these were murders and nothing else; we must call things as they are— we all saw them—it is neither an assessment nor an impression, but we saw them—two acts of murder; the matter has not been closed. There have been developments in this matter, and it is right and proper that I not discuss them publicly. I can inform the families, but away from the public eye.

We are doing what we must do to hold those responsible for the murders accountable.

The fourth point I would like to make is that, as a minimum obligation—but also as my personal desire, an obligation as the President of the Republic of Cyprus at this time— and also my wish as a citizen of this country, is to be with you on August 8 to honor Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, and we are here to do whatever you deem necessary to further strengthen your efforts.

Because I was previously a diplomat, many say that in Greece there is no need for awareness-raising on the Cyprus issue. I believe that awareness-raising on the Cyprus issue must always begin in Greece. And what you’ve done—and what you’ve achieved through this ten-day trip— would normally require years of diplomatic work or government-level efforts to achieve the results that your own efforts have brought about.

We thank you very much on behalf of the State, the Republic of Cyprus, for everything you do, and, I repeat, we are here to further strengthen your efforts.

I’ll conclude by addressing Mr. Spyros, Ms. Tasoula, and Anastasia: we are very well aware of the obligation we have toward you, to the families of our heroes, and I want to tell you publicly that we will not stop for a single moment until we have fulfilled our obligation to you and to the Cypriot people.”

“There have been developments in the case of the murders of the heroes Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomos,” said the President of the Republic, Mr. Nikos Christodoulides, who received dozens of motorcyclists—members of the Isaac – Solomou, noting at the same time that the government is doing everything it must regarding those responsible for the murders of the two heroes.

Speaking to the group of Initiative members, the President of the Republic said, “I would like to welcome you to the Presidential Palace upon your return from your trip to Greece. A trip that I followed daily through the press, but even more so through social media.”

He added, “I was following your journey, and the first thing that came to mind was that what you were doing was just like the trip Evagoras Pallikarides took in school, in which he describes the most wonderful journey of his life—when he went to Greece with his classmates and when they returned from it. My father was a classmate of Pallikaridis; he was on that same trip to Greece, and he often told me about that trip and how they felt.”

He also pointed out that “the second thing that particularly impressed me while watching your march was the route you took. The route was very well-planned,” and he congratulated those who designed it.

He added that “the third thing I wanted to say is that you’ve been doing this since 2008; we have a duty to honor the memory of Isaac and Solomos; it is the very least we can do, what we are obligated to do as a society, as a nation, the very least is to honor their memory, but we will truly honor their memory if we follow their examples.”

The President of the Republic referred to the sacrifice of Isaac and Solomos, who were guided by their values and ideals, noting that “they sacrificed themselves for specific causes and specific ideals, and if we truly wish to honor their memory, we must follow their example. What they were fighting for was nothing more than the freedom to move about their country as any citizen of a European state does.

They fought for the liberation of this country and an end to the occupation. And these ideals, the principles and values that drove them to take those specific actions, are what continue to guide our struggle to this day. If we truly wish to honor their memory, we must continue their struggle.

I want to say that for us, for our government, what happened in August 1996—the murders that took place, because these were murders and nothing else; we must call things as they are— we all saw them—it is neither an assessment nor an impression, but we saw them—two acts of murder; the matter has not been closed. There have been developments in this matter, and it is right and proper that I not discuss them publicly. I can inform the families, but away from the public eye.

We are doing what we must do to hold those responsible for the murders accountable.

The fourth point I would like to make is that, as a minimum obligation—but also as my personal desire, an obligation as President of the Republic of Cyprus at this time— and also my wish as a citizen of this country, is to be with you on August 8 to honor Tassos Isaac and Solomos Solomou, and we are here to do whatever you deem necessary to further strengthen your efforts.

Because I was previously a diplomat, many say that in Greece there is no need for awareness-raising on the Cyprus issue. I believe that awareness-raising on the Cyprus issue must always begin in Greece. And what you’ve done—and what you’ve achieved through this ten-day trip— would normally require years of diplomatic work or government-level efforts to achieve the results that your own efforts have brought about.

We thank you very much on behalf of the State, the Republic of Cyprus, for everything you do, and, I repeat, we are here to further strengthen your efforts.

I’ll conclude by addressing Mr. Spyros, Ms. Tasoula, and Anastasia: we are very well aware of the obligation we have toward you, toward the families of our heroes, and I want to tell you publicly that we will not stop for a single moment until we have fulfilled our obligation to you and to the Cypriot people.”