The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos, accompanied by the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Vasileios Tellidis attended the annual   commemoration ceremony at Souli. A memorial service was held, the names of Souli residents killed in action were read, and a wreath was laid.

The Minister of National Defence stated the following:

“The message of today’s anniversary is that these people, who faced many attacks throughout their history, cannot be enslaved. This country’s national sovereignty will not be surrendered. This land is irrigated with blood from struggles of people who did not give away the keys to our country. And when time came, at the last moment, they proved that they prefer death to the yoke of slavery.

This happens today too, when some people try to make us cede Greece and our national sovereignty in financial, rather than war terms. They must understand that Greece is a modern European country that wants to cooperate with everybody, yet Greece will not cede its national sovereignty and mostly it will not cede its dignity. If their purpose is to make us give up our dignity in exchange of anything, they have asked the wrong people and the wrong country. Greek people are united and they will say again a loud “no” if necessary.

The Government has reached the margins of its electoral promises with the solution it proposed to the creditors. This is our last work. If this turns into a blast, they will be responsible for it. We will not back off, not even a millimetre and I ask the entire Greek people, regardless of political opinions, to stay together at this moment of national importance.

Thank you very much.”