The Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos, represented the Government in the parade commemorating the National Anniversary of 28 October 1940, which took place in Thessaloniki, in the presence of Her Excellency, the President of the Hellenic Republic, Ms. Katerina Sakellaropoulou.
The parade was attended by the Minister of Defence of the Republic of Cyprus, Mr. Charalampos Petrides, Chief/HNDGS General Konstantinos Floros, Chief/National Guard General Staff Lieutenant General Demokritos Zervakis, the General Secretary of the Ministry of National Defence, Mr. Antonios Oikonomou, Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Charalampos Lalousis, Chief/HNGS Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis, and Chief/HAFGS Lieutenant General (HAF) Themistoklis Bourolias. The parade was also attended by the US Ambassador to Greece, Mr. George James Tsunis, and His Eminence Metropolitan of Thessaloniki Anthimos.
Following the conclusion of the parade, the Minister of National Defence made the following address:
“We are commemorating today in Thessaloniki, in all splendor, the anniversary of 28 October 1940, the Epic of 1940. We proudly watched both the civil and the military parade.
We felt the morale, the proud mindset. We admired the stature of those who participated. We joined them in their feeling proud. We reminisce about this very Epic of 1940, when Greece defeated a theoretically superior opponent, an arrogant and totalitarian regime, which however did not take into account – and this is why it was buried in the snowy mountains of Pindus – that the country had a proud national mindset, which was present across the Country and its people; that it had a robust leadership and strong, well-prepared Armed Forces, which were ready to fight and win.
The challenges we currently face are complicated, complex, probably different than those we faced in the past, concurrent and ongoing crises. Nonetheless, we will face them and we will overcome them, being inspired by the example of the heroes of 1940, their sacrifice, their sense of duty to defend our national sovereignty and territory. We will keep on fighting for a more powerful Greece, which stands proudly for a country that shows respects, but also demands the respect of others; for a Greece that feels safe and secure, despite the problems and challenges, because it has – inter alia – powerful and deterring Armed Forces.
Happy 28 October to Greece!
Long Live the Epic of 1940!
Long Live the Nation!”.
