Twinning of Chloraka-Salamis
Joint decisions have been made by the local authorities of Chloraka and the Municipality of Salamina for city twinning, with the common bond that the legendary Captain Evangelos Loukas Koutalianos from Salamis, who with the vessels “SIREN” & “AG. GEORGIOS” transferred the arms and weapons for the liberation struggle of Cyprus in 1955-59. The twinning ceremony will take place first in Chloraka and then in Salamis.
What does twinning mean:
Twinning is the approach of two communities that are seeking to develop ever-closer friendships with each other.
Twinning represents friendship, cooperation and mutual awareness amongst the citizens of twinned communities.
Twinning can grow between small villages, cities, countries, major cities, and can focus on a very wide range of issues, offering many benefits to communities and municipalities. Uniting people from different places is a good opportunity to jointly tackle problems, exchange views and understand different perceptions of any subject that is of mutual interest or concern.
Twinning covers a wide range of issues such as art and culture, sustainable development, social participation, solidarity, etc.
It is a long-term commitment between the partners and not a short-term partnership. It must always be able to survive the changes in political leadership and the short-term difficulties of the partners, who have to support each other in difficult times, and given that it is a long-term commitment, it is vital that cooperation is regularly reviewed, to ensure that it meets the needs of everybody and remains efficient and dynamic.
Equally important is the dual commitment required for twinning, i.e. of local authorities, but also of citizens, because twinning cannot be realized without the active involvement of citizens. This dual nature often requires the establishment of a twinning committee, involving local officials and citizens.
Salamis:
Salamis, with its homonymous capital city, is the largest island of the Saronic Gulf and the closest to the coasts of Attica and has a population of 40,000.
According to mythology, it was named after the fairy Salamis, whose husband was Poseidon – the god of the sea.
It is the homeland of King Ajax, the son of Telamon, and of the tragic poet Euripides. That was where the naval battle of Salamis took place in 480 BC given by the ancient Greeks, stopping the Persian Empire from entering Europe. The legendary fighter of the Greek Revolution, George Karaiskakis, had his headquarters at Salamis beach.
In the Trojan War, Ajax took part with his brother Teucros. After the death of Ajax in Troy, Teucros returned to Salamis, but Telamonas’ father, furious and angry, drove him out of the island because he did not take revenge for his brother’s death and did not bring his remains to his homeland. Teucros and his companions arrived by boat to the eastern coast of Cyprus, where he founded a town, which he named Salamina in memory of his hometown. This city was later named Constantia, and is located within the area of today’s occupied Famagusta.
Chloraka:
Chloraka is a village in the province of Paphos in Cyprus. According to the 2011 census it had 5356 inhabitants.
It is built in the northwest of the city of Paphos, and in one kilometer away.
It is a short distance from the sea and is a successor of older settlements that existed in this area and disappeared over the years. Prehistoric tombs named Ellinospilioi (Greek caves) and various archaeological objects, stone tools, pickaxes, broken vases, which can be found here and there on the surface of the ground, bear witness to a very old settlement from the middle of the 4th millennium BC.
It was named Chloraka due to the rich flora that existed there when the settlement was first built, and the area was ever green in winter and summer.
Its name became known in Cyprus and in Greece, mainly because there Georgios Grivas Dighenis disembarked in one autumn night in 1954 and started organizing EOKA (National Organization of Cypriot Fighters) for the liberation of Cyprus.
Chloraka Oath of twinning
Salamis Oath of twinning
Chlorakas Protocol
Salamis Protocol