Cyprus is celebrating today the 60th anniversary of its independence, with the end of the colonial rule of Great Britain. October 1 was set as the date for the Independence Day celebrations in 1963, although Cyprus became an independent state on August 16, 1959, when the last British governor, Sir Hugh Foot, resigned, handing over power to Archbishop Makarios.
The liberation of Cyprus was preceded by the armed struggle of EOKA, from 1955 to 1959 with the aim of the Union of Cyprus with Greece, which ended in Independence with the Zurich and London Agreements.
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In Nicosia, a large military parade is scheduled to taking place, without the presence of the public due to the measures against the pandemic. The parade will be welcomed by the Speaker of the Cypriot Parliament Dimitris Syllouris, as President Nicos Anastasiades is in Brussels for the European Council. The Greek Government will be represented by the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Panagiotopoulos, who will be accompanied by the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros.
The Commander of the Armed Forces, General Enzo Vecciarelli, will attend on behalf of Italy, and the Commander of the French Forces in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, Rear Admiral Laurent Isnard, will represent the French Republic.
