The Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikos Dendias, representing the Prime Minister, attended on Tuesday 21 May 2024 the celebrations for the 160th Anniversary of May 21 1864, the day of the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece, which were held in Corfu, accompanied by the Chief/HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis and the Chief/HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis.
Mr. Dendias attended the Doxology at the Holy Church of Agios Spyridon officiated by his Eminence Metropolitan Nektarios of Corfu, Paxos and Diapontia Islands.
Then, an event took place on the occasion of the 160th anniversary of the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece at the internal Peristyle of the Palace of St. Michael and St. George.
The Minister of National Defence in his address stated the following:
“Your Eminence, Your Excellency the Ambassador of the United Kingdom in Greece, Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Mr. District Governor, dear Mayors, dear – and I absolutely mean that – colleagues of the Hellenic Parliament, Chief of the Hellenic Army General Staff, Gentlemen of Local Administration, distinguished guests, dear ladies and gentlemen,
As I am sure you understand, it is both a supreme pleasure and an honour for me to be here today in Corfu, my birthplace and the capital of the Ionian Islands, to celebrate the 160th anniversary from the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece.
Please allow me not to limit myself to delivering a festive speech in my capacity as Minister, but to speaking to you off text, just like the Professor who spoke before me did for the most part of his excellent speech.
Ladies and Gentlemen, in order for a historic anniversary to have a minimum value, two discrete processes should be followed. At first, it needs to check into the past and the parameters at the time when the events took place and the decisions were made. Secondly, the events should be projected into the future as possible lessons to be learned for our national trajectory.
As regards the first process – namely, the reference to the past – I would like to emphasize the diversity of the Ionian response compared to the decisions made in the rest of Greece. As the decision of nearly the majority of the Ionian society, other than the “Downworlders” – the name itself implies the treatment they had by the collective conscience – for the participation in the Megali Idea, namely the effort to revive a greater Greece, did not have to face as major power a regressive Ottoman disintegrating Empire, but the strong protection of a country that, at the time, produced more than 30% of the GNP of the whole world; I am referring to Great Britain. I said all this, so that you can have a sense of the magnitude, the US do not exceed currently a 14%.
Therefore, the decision to detach from the protection and attach to a really small and poor Greek state was the profound evidence that the Ionian people had national identity and congruence. It was a decision they had to pay with rivers of blood. I do not only refer to the Revolution and the volunteers from the Ionian islands to the mainland, but mostly to the 10th Infantry Regiment, which offered a heavy death toll later on, during the Balkan Wars for the liberation of Macedonia.
The Megali Idea of the Greeks, just like the Italian Risorgimento, are the two finest stories of Romanticism. In a strange way, they coincide and intersect at the sacrifice of Lorentzos Mavilis, a Garibaldini volunteer, at the battle of Driskos in 1912. These facts refer to the past.
As far as the future is concerned, and the lessons we can have and use, I would like to say that, unfortunately, as I often have the opportunity to repeat in my capacity as Minister of National Defence, we do not enjoy national security in the areas beyond our borderline.
In our neighbouring horizon, on the very moment we are celebrating the Unification, two wars are ongoing. No matter how calm the waters in the Aegean may be, explicit revisionism is right across our country.
Therefore, the projection of our past into our future highlights our absolute duty: to defend, just like our ancestors did, our sovereignty, independence and sovereign rights, our right to exist independent in the context of International Law and the Law of the United Nations.
Long live Greece!”.
Afterwards, a memorial service was performed at the Monument for the Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece, and a wreath-laying ceremony during which the Minister laid a wreath on behalf of the Government.
In addition, Mr. Dendias observed the parade of civil and military troops.
A fly-past of F-4 and AH-64 Apache was performed during the parade.
The celebrations were also attended by the MPs Stefanos Gkikas, Alexandros-Christos Avlonitis, Dimitrios Biagkis, the European Parliament MP Elisa Vozemberg, the District Governor for the Ionian Islands Giannis Trepeklis, the Mayor of Central Corfu and Diapontia Islands Stefanos Penintarhou Poulimenos, the Ambassador of the UK Matthew Lodge, the Catholic Archbishop for Corfu, Zante and Cefalonia Georgios Altouvas, the Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, History Professor at the Ionian University Athanassios Efstathiou, delegates from the Security Corps and the local administration, and many people.
From the Army leadership, the Commanding General of the C’ Army Corps Lieutenant General Athanassios Garinis, and the Commander of the 8th Motorised Brigade Brigadier General Georgios Pappas attended the celebrations.
Mr. Dendias made the following statement at the local Media:
“Many Happy Returns to the people who celebrate their name day, to Konstantinos and Eleni, but also Many Happy Returns to the Ionian Islands.
The 160th Anniversary of Unification of the Ionian Islands with Greece is celebrated today here in Corfu with a common Ionian soul, all together, with a glorious parade. I believe that the Armed Forces marched here in Corfu today, after 50 years. I am happy to be here today, representing the Government.
Many Happy Returns! My best wishes to everyone!”
The celebrations were concluded with the Minister of National Defence visiting the Statue of Ioannis Kapodistrias, where a demonstration flight of a single F-16 by the ZEUS team was performed.
