![](\"http:\/\/ch.jfdi.cc\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/03\/president-inaugurates-general-katsanis-park.jpg\")
A park in Thessaloniki had been named after the Greek General Georgios Katsanis, who fought alongside Greek Cypriots when Turkey invaded the island in 1974.<\/p>\nA park in Thessaloniki had been named after the Greek General Georgios Katsanis, who fought alongside Greek Cypriots when Turkey invaded the island in 1974.<\/p>\n
Cypriot president Nikos Christodoulides attended the naming ceremony in Greece during which he underscored the sacrifice of General Katsanis.He said it was an obligation to pay, on behalf of the Cypriot people, \u201cthe minimum tribute to a distinguished compatriot, a great Greek hero\u201d.General Georgios Katsanis was Commander of the 33rd Raiders Squadron in 1974, then with the rank of colonel. The president said Katsanis sacrificed himself during the Turkish invasion in defence of the Republic of Cyprus, its independence, sovereignty, and territorial integrity, as well as the freedom of its citizens.After years of being listed as missing, part of General Katsanis\u2019 remains were discovered in Cyprus in 2020 through DNA analysis, and he was laid to rest in his hometown of Sidirokastro Serres. President Christodoulides noted that General Katsanis had also excelled as an athlete at the historic Gymnastics Club \u201cIraklis Thessaloniki,\u201d further commemorating his legacy.A delegation from the specific club was present at the naming ceremony of the park, which is located next to the Katsanis Gymnasium on Agiou Dimitriou Street in Thessaloniki.Christodoulides referred to the numerous dedications in the name of General Katsanis that reflect the due recognition of his contribution and sacrifice, including camps, monuments, busts and namings in various locations in Cyprus and Greece.\u201cEven greater recognition I consider the love and respect of his soldiers for Katsanis and the popular nickname attributed to him as \u2018the eagle of Pentadaktylos\u2019,\u201d he added.He then praised General Katsanis\u2019 bravery as a shining example of defending Cyprus against invasion, aligning his sacrifice with the struggles and sacrifices of Cypriot and Balkan fighters in the early 20th century.He mentioned that the sacrifice of General Katsanis is listed and stands out in the heroic contribution of dozens of officers and soldiers from Greece and particularly from Macedonia, who were killed defending Cypriot independence and integrity in the summer of 1974 at Pentadaktylos, on the shores of Kyrenia, and in the Mesaoria plain.The President concluded by praising General Katsanis\u2019 family for their unwavering love for Cyprus and thanked the Mayor of Thessaloniki for the joint effort in naming the park after the esteemed General.\u201cTo all these fallen and missing, we owe gratitude.\u201dFollow the
\nCyprus Mail on Google News<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
A park in Thessaloniki has been named after General Georgios Katsanis, a Greek General who fought alongside Greek Cypriots during the Turkish invasion of Cyprus in 1974. Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides attended the naming ceremony. General Katsanis was the Commander of the 33rd Raiders Squadron in 1974 and sacrificed himself during the invasion. Part of his remains were discovered in Cyprus in 2020 through DNA analysis and were laid to rest in Sidirokastro Serres. The park is located next to the Katsanis Gymnasium on Agiou Dimitriou Street in Thessaloniki.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":4344,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"Default","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[1275,1031,3,250,747,2122,891,193,2124,503,720,177,2123],"class_list":["post-4343","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-cyprus","tag-ceremony","tag-christodoulides","tag-cyprus","tag-google","tag-greece","tag-greek-general","tag-kyrenia","tag-nikos-christodoulides","tag-park","tag-president-nikos-christodoulides","tag-rest","tag-turkey","tag-turkish-invasion"],"acf":{"keyphrase":"","keywords":"","sourceimg":"","country-category":""},"yoast_head":"\n