The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos, the Deputy Minister of Macedonia – Thrace Maria Kollia – Tsaroucha, the Chief of HNDGS Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, the Chief of HAGS Lieutenant General Vasileios Tellidis, the Chief of HNGS Vice Admiral Georgios Giakoumakis, the Chief of HAFGS Lieutenant General Christos Vaitsis, Military Attaches, MPs and representatives of the local government authorities attended the final stage of the Field Exercise “PARMENION 2016” which was held at “AETOS” firing range, Alexandroupoli.

The Minister of National Defence stated the following:

“I am particularly pleased to have the great honour to be again today, after a short while, in Evros, in this frontier prefecture where the heart of Greek nation beats.

We are all here, in the area of responsibility of the D’ Army Corps, an area with great operational and national value, at the final stage of the joint exercise “Parmenion 2016”.

We also have a special pleasure to host diplomatic and military missions from other countries, whom I thank for their presence and I send them a message of cooperation and friendship.

This exercise is the capstone of the training course of the Armed Forces. Units and formations of all the three branches participated all over the Aegean Sea and Evros.

Chief,

The final stage of the exercise which we just watched was really impressive from all aspects.

Once more, your personnel proved, to specialists and non specialists, the deterrence capability of the army and the capability to defend our national space and our national and sovereignty rights from any external threat.

Once more, you made us proud; you made me proud personally, as your political superior, as well as the Greek people who realise that the money that they spend for our country’s defence are used in the best possible manner.

It is a special honour and it is particularly important that the Prime Minister of the country attended was briefed on the exercise by the Chiefs of all the General Staffs, at the National Centre of Operations – for the first time in years – and supported, with his statements, the personnel of the Armed Forces.

Our country goes through difficult times. Now, more than ever, our country should be vigilant.

I would like to thank all the Parties of the Hellenic Parliament for their support to the Armed Forces and I am asking everybody not to include the Armed Forces in any kind of political controversies, but a subject of concord and national solidarity.

The developments in Eastern Mediterranean, the instability within the countries of this area, culmination of which is the civil war in Syria, social and political turmoil in Turkey, the refugees’ issue, are factors which reinforce the geopolitical position of our country, yet they have shaped a particularly dangerous and unstable political environment with a projection of a generalized instability and a parallel rise of Islamic fundamentalism, yet also with ethnic conflicts which predict particularly dire developments and create conditions that influence Greece, Europe and the international security system in general.

All the above in conjunction with a number of facts around our country, act as a reminder and also as a warning. The provocative statements of the president of our neighbouring country which disrupt any sense of international law, as well as the historically unproven views of our neighbours which unfortunately have been adopted by an official in Brussels – even temporarily – are characteristic examples.

You may easily realize how great a burden of responsibility we undertake as Armed Forces in our country’s eternal effort to respond to the challenges of our era; to fulfil its expectations as a western country, as a European country, a country that wants to participate in the central course of the developments within the Euro-Atlantic institutions; and as a country that has its own national interests, its own priorities and its own alliances in the wider region.    

And we do this, my dear friends. The Armed Forces permanently send this clear message; that our national sovereignty, our foreign and defence policy is not subject to negotiations, cannot be restricted or pressured.

And that Greek people’s security and prosperity, our country’s security, as well as the one of our national “red lines”, are goals of primary importance to us.

Officers, NCOs, Soldiers, National Guards and Civilian personnel,

In our dire financial circumstances today which torment you and your families and the entire Greek people, you are sending this message.

The national duty that you fulfil every day and the excellent performance in your job under hard living conditions make you select cadres of the Hellenic Armed Forces, as well as of Greek society in general, and you must be proud of this, as we are proud of you.

The Hellenic Armed Forces, with their everyday presence all over the Greek territory, with the provision of an invaluable social work and contribution to Greek citizens, prove with actions that they are a permanent source of our national power.
    
Our country entrusts you with its future and the Greek people with their peace and prosperity.
               
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to thank the local authorities, the Deputy Regional Governors and the Mayors in particular, who are here today, because here, in Evros, in Thrace as well as all over Greece, you prove the excellent cooperation between the local government and the Greek people and the Hellenic Armed Forces.

Together we will continue not only the defence work, yet also the contribution to community and for this I am asking for the help of every MP of this electoral district, of every party, for the Armed Forces to be able to help this vulnerable region.

We have already begun through works conducted by MOMKA, the building of primary schools in the area which cover needs that could not yet be covered by the private sector and we will continue further, in order to be able to free Greek citizens who lived for years under the threats of the consulate of our neighbouring country and I am mostly talking about the Muslims of Thrace who have the national identity in them and try by themselves – many times abandoned by the state – to keep it alive.

I would like to thank the conscripts who contributed to the successful results of this exercise with their participation. I would like also to thank the National Guards who, under the new planning that we are preparing with the Chiefs of General Staffs will become more active in exercises through the creation of our country’s new defence doctrine.

I would like to assure Thracian women and men, women and men of Evros, that we are already planning a new allocation of forces in Evros with a new planning which will reinforce the presence of the Armed Forces in this particularly important area.

Finally, I would like to express my congratulations to everyone who planed, organised and executed Parmenion 2016, with the excellent results that we all confirmed and to wish the Armed Forces to continue their national duty successfully with the blessing of Virgin Mary the “Champion General”.

Thank you.”