Pilgrimage at Ayia Marina
Szöveg: Capt. Gábor Erki | 2011. július 29. 10:26This year the traditional pilgrimage at the Ayia Marina church in Cyprus was held on July 16-17. In addition to the chapel situated in a scenic environment and the legend related to the site, another special feature makes the pilgrimage unique, namely that it is annually organized in the middle of the UN-supervised buffer zone along the Green Line separating the opposing forces.
Like in every year, the pilgrimage in 2011 was preceded by thorough preliminary work, such as preparations, planning and organization, which included designating and tasking the military subunits required for the implementation. Ensuring security at the site of the pilgrimage was a priority while synchronizing the tasks.
As the venue of the event is located inside the buffer zone, the UNFICYP military observer and liaison officers (MOLOs) were tasked to provide the opposing forces with detailed information about the upcoming pilgrimage. The run-up to the two-day event comprised a so-called cleaning and maintenance day on the site, which involved both the local civilians and the UN staff.
What was the reason for the extensive preparations? On the one hand, the geographical location of the site, while on the other hand the fact that preparing the chapel and its surroundings for the accommodation of nearly 1,200 pilgrims arriving on the two-day event requires meticulously coordinated task execution. Enabling access to the site presented one of the greatest problems because only UN vehicles are allowed to enter the buffer zone. For this reason, the UN made a number of buses available for the pilgrims to help them getting to the chapel.
The Medical Team of the Hungarian contingent in UNFICYP was instrumental in the successful execution of logistic tasks. In cooperation with the local hospitals and medical facilities, the personnel of the Medical Team – that is, Maj. (Med.) Dr. Géza Dancsó, SFC Zoltánné Gyikó and S/Sgt. Beáta Tárnoki were put on round-the-clock stand-by during the two-day event, ready to provide professional treatment in case of possible accidents and sicknesses.
