The Minister of National Defence Mr. Dimitris Avramopoulos attended today the celebration of Saint George’s Day, patron Saint of the Army, which took place in the Military School of Infantry at Chalkida.

During the ceremony, Mr. Avramopoulos awarded prizes to the distinguished Officers of the Military School’s Training Courses.

The speech following is the address made by the Minister of National Defence:

“Chief of the Hellenic Armed Forces,

Chief of the Army,

Members of the Parliament,

Former Ministers,

Politicians

Delegates of the local community

Former Chiefs,

Generals,

Friends, foreign Attachés representing your country here,

Ladies and Gentlemen,

It is a great pleasure and honour for me today to be here with you.

Allow me to underline here that the anniversaries have real value when they modernize the traditional concepts and notions, needed by society, by this place, by the country.

Today’s celebration for the Hellenic Army takes us back to the glorious days, to those pages of honour and splendour written by the Armed Forces in general – with the Hellenic Army always being the first – and which are among the guarantees for our country’s security and independence.

I said earlier that such celebrations have a real value when they send us their messages, which we will adapt to the current situation, and look forward into the future.

In the Order of the Day, the Chief of the Army referred to the hard times experienced by our country. We should not hide behind our finger, this is a reality. During the past years, Greek society is going through hard times, our country is facing great challenges and we all have significant responsibility.

Responsibility that, independently of what each and every one of us might believe in, and how we apprehend the future and what is right for this country, should bristle with a basic principle which is one of the deepest concepts in our History, as it goes through the pages of glory for the Hellenic Army; solidarity and unity. Not, as often seen, on the remains, but before we reach such a state.

Today’s anniversary, besides its celebratory character, brings the personnel of the Armed Forces together, a big part of the Hellenic society which, whether in uniform or retired, that is to say in standing reserve, or the civilian personnel, or the staff resources, go through the doors of this military camp to embrace the Hellenic people and share with them deeper issues concerning responsibility.

In this spirit we gathered here today; for a tribute of honour to those who preceded us, for the modernization of the supreme and noble notions reminded by such anniversaries, with the renewed concepts. And, the principle notion is the feeling of responsibility of all Greeks, all the political forces, all of us without exception.

Chief,  

I would like to thank you for your cooperation during this semester, when I also had the chance to discover for myself what, above all, I feel proud of, and which is what you also underlined in your Order of the Day. That, besides the difficulties, despite the problems, despite the fiscal pressure, our country conserves one of the most efficient national defence systems; as I had the chance to say during the contacts I lately had in Europe and in the United States, that makes our country a stabilising agent in the broader region, always ready to respond to every challenge, to put our services in the employment of peace, cooperation, security and stability.

However, above all, I feel safe as a citizen, since within the Armed Forces, in general, the principles that – as you might have heard me repeating many times – want this place to be a different Greece, Greece of duty, honour, value and pride, are still alive.

Consequently, this deeper feeling of pride for the effectiveness, the competence, the high spirit of the Armed Forces, is what we share here today, on the occasion of this celebration.

And, on my turn, as a delegate of the Hellenic State, I would like to send forth a message to the country’s Armed Forces.

That the Hellenic State trusts in them, honours them and in these difficult times, as you might have discovered following the effort made by the political and military leadership, in a spirit of understanding and cooperation, we shall not allow anything to compromise what has been conquered within more than 200 years of history, and which wants a national defence system, one of the best worldwide, in the name of their supreme mission, which is the country’s defence, in case this will be needed, and the ensuring of the integrity and independence of Greece and of our beloved Cyprus.

Thank you very much”.