Remains of six Greek soldiers killed in ’74 handed over to families  

The remains of six Greek soldiers killed in Cyprus during the 1974 Turkish invasion were handed over to their families after 45 years during a ceremony in Nicosia on Thursday.

Lieutenant Georgios Papalambrides, warrant officers Constantinos Kourlios, Constantinos Kateros and Constantinos Elia, sergeant Pavlos Poulides, and infantry officer Panagiotis Vasilios were all referred to as heroes by presidential commissioner Photis Photiou during the ceremony.

“Today we say goodbye to our brothers,” Photiou said. “Their courage, generosity and love for the homeland will never be forgotten.”

The remains were flown back to Greece in a Greek air force C-130 transport plane.

The Cyprus Mail is the only English-language daily newspaper published in Cyprus. It was established in 1945 and today, with its popular and widely-read website, the Cyprus Mail is among the most trusted news sites in Cyprus. The newspaper is not affiliated with any political parties and has always striven to maintain its independence. Over the past 70-plus years, the Cyprus Mail, with a small dedicated team, has covered momentous events in Cyprus’ modern history, chronicling the last gasps of British colonial rule, Cyprus’ truncated independence, the coup and Turkish invasion, and the decades of negotiations to stitch the divided island back together, plus a myriad of scandals, murders, and human interests stories that capture the island and its -people. Observers describe it as politically conservative.