“Cyprus experienced an unusual moment on Sunday. He greeted the ethnoarch Makarion, who brought the message of freedom to his flock: “We won, we united,” these were the first words of the ethnoarch to his compatriots and competitors immediately after arriving in Nicosia,” he writes. Kathimerini” in its main issue, on the front page of March 3, 1959. Makarios was moved by the British colonial administration of the island in the Seychelles, along with his entourage in 1956, and in April 1957 he settled in Athens. His return to Cyprus immediately after the signing of the Zurich and London treaties was a triumph.

“An estimated 200,000 Greek Cypriots gathered in Nicosia to greet the head of state. All the way from the airport to the city of Nicosia, thousands of Greek Cypriots gathered, wearing badges, neckbands or hats in Greek colors. Everyone wanted to receive the blessing of the ethnarch and present him with a bouquet. […]”.

In December of the same year, the first presidential elections are held in Cyprus. They face Archbishop Makarios, who is supported by the United Democratic Reconstruction Front and most of the EOKA fighters, and Ioannis Cleridis, who is supported by the Democratic Union, AKEL and those who do not agree with the Zurich-London agreements. The front page of Kathimerini on December 15 reports a triumphant victory for Makarios: 67%”.

And he quotes his speech: “There are no winners and losers,” he continued. I invite all of you to unite and cooperate to restore our homeland.” […] The newly elected President of the Republic noted that the honor of this historic event belongs to […] “also to the heroes and martyrs who watered the tree of freedom with their sacrifice with their blood, to the heroic fighters of EOKA and the legendary Digenis and to you, to the entire Cypriot people, because you could not for a moment believe and work in the name of the great day of national liberation.”