In a climate of deep sorrow family, friends, and comrades, both Vietnamese and Greek, bid farewell to comrade Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap on 29/6.

The funeral ceremony was attended by a delegation of the CC of the KKE, headed by Giorgos Marinos, member of the PB of the CC and MP, Kostas Papadakis, member of the CC and MEP, Kostas Basdekis, member of the CC, and Nikos Seretakis, member of the Section of International Relations of the CC of the KKE. The funeral ceremony was also attended by Antonis Kostadimas, member of the Bureau of the CC of KNE, Nikos Chatzikyriakos, member of the Party Organization of Petroupolis of the KKE and president of the Petroupolis Branch of the Nationwide Resistance Fighters’ Organization (PEAEA–DSE), as many other comrades of the late from the Party Organization of Petroupolis, who also held a guard of honour. The Ambassador of Vietnam to Greece, Le Hong Truong, attended the ceremony as well.

G. Marinos bid farewell to the later on behalf of the KKE, stressing that “With deep sorrow, the CC of the KKE bids farewell to comrade Kostas Sarantidis - Nguyen Van Lap. Our Party expresses its respect to the communist and internationalist who dedicated his life to the struggle for the interests of the Vietnamese and the Greek people, for the abolition of the exploitation of man by man, for socialism–communism.

The life of comrade Kostas was adventurous. It includes many life lessons for the new generations, as it requires great strength and resilience to make life decisions, to choose the path of struggle and proletarian internationalism under truly harsh conditions, to be on the side the Vietnamese people and fight to cast off the shackles of French and US imperialism, to fulfill your duty, to excel at armed struggle, and to continue to struggle in Greece through the ranks of the KKE, until the end of your life, like comrade Kostas Sarantidis did.

 He was born in 1927 in Thessaloniki to refugee parents from Asia Minor. A descendant of large poor family, he started working from an early age. Towards the end of World War II, he was arrested and sent to a forced labour camp, but in the meantime Germany surrendered. In 1945 he was recruited by the French into the Foreign Legion, supposedly to fight against the Japanese in the Far East.

Arriving in Indochina in February of 1946, when he was 18 years old, he realized the role that French imperialism was playing, and seeing the injustice, he fought on the side of the Vietnamese liberation movement and joined the Viet Minh, where he developed as a fighter under the name Nguyen Van Lap.

In 1949 he became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He took part in battles with the legendary 803 People's Army Regiment, shot down the first French plane, took charge of a prisoner-of-war camp, experienced sufferings together with the Vietnamese people and shared his desire and struggle for freedom. With the defeat of the French, he was demobilized with the rank of captain and lived in Vietnam until 1965, when he returned to Greece.

Upon his return to Greece, he worked at Pechiney where he contributed to the creation of the first KKE organization in the French monopoly.

In 2011 he was bestowed with the honourary Vietnamese citizenship and in 2013 he was awarded Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. He was a living link between the heroic traditions and the popular movements of our country and Vietnam.

“If I could live again, I would follow the same path.” With these words he addressed the hundreds of young men and women who participated in the great event in his honour that was co-organized by the KNE and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the framework of the 16^th World Festival of Youth and Students in 2005, conveying his valuable militant contribution.

Comrade Kostas,

We expected to have you among us at the opening event of the 21^st Congress of our Party, but it was not possible. The Congress was held successfully, it took important decisions, and our Party continues the struggle to become the mind, the heart, and the organizer of the workers'–people's struggle for socialism.

The CC of the KKE and the CC of the KNE express their deepest condolences to his wife, his children and grandchildren, to his brothers, and all his relatives.

Farewell, comrade Kostas, we will never forget you”.

30.06.2021

The life of comrade Kostas was adventurous. It includes many life lessons for the new generations, as it requires great strength and resilience to make life decisions, to choose the path of struggle and proletarian internationalism under truly harsh conditions, to be on the side the Vietnamese people and fight to cast off the shackles of French and US imperialism, to fulfill your duty, to excel at armed struggle, and to continue to struggle in Greece through the ranks of the KKE, until the end of your life, like comrade Kostas Sarantidis did.

            He was born in 1927 in Thessaloniki to refugee parents from Asia Minor. A descendant of large poor family, he started working from an early age. Towards the end of World War II, he was arrested and sent to a forced labour camp, but in the meantime Germany surrendered. In 1945 he was recruited by the French into the Foreign Legion, supposedly to fight against the Japanese in the Far East.

            Arriving in Indochina in February of 1946, when he was 18 years old, he realized the role that French imperialism was playing, and seeing the injustice, he fought on the side of the Vietnamese liberation movement and joined the Viet Minh, where he developed as a fighter under the name Nguyen Van Lap.

            In 1949 he became a member of the Communist Party of Vietnam. He took part in battles with the legendary 803 People's Army Regiment, shot down the first French plane, took charge of a prisoner-of-war camp, experienced sufferings together with the Vietnamese people and shared his desire and struggle for freedom. With the defeat of the French, he was demobilized with the rank of captain and lived in Vietnam until 1965, when he returned to Greece.

            Upon his return to Greece, he worked at Pechiney where he contributed to the creation of the first KKE organization in the French monopoly.

            In 2011 he was bestowed with the honourary Vietnamese citizenship and in 2013 he was awarded Hero of the People’s Armed Forces. He was a living link between the heroic traditions and the popular movements of our country and Vietnam.

            “If I could live again, I would follow the same path.” With these words he addressed the hundreds of young men and women who participated in the great event in his honour that was co-organized by the KNE and the Ho Chi Minh Communist Youth Union in the framework of the 16^th World Festival of Youth and Students in 2005, conveying his valuable militant contribution.

            Comrade Kostas,

            We expected to have you among us at the opening event of the 21^st Congress of our Party, but it was not possible. The Congress was held successfully, it took important decisions, and our Party continues the struggle to become the mind, the heart, and the organizer of the workers'–people's struggle for socialism.

            The CC of the KKE and the CC of the KNE express their deepest condolences to his wife, his children and grandchildren, to his brothers, and all his relatives.

Farewell, comrade Kostas, we will never forget you”.