On Monday 11 November 2024, the Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended the festivities held in Kastoria for the completion of 112 years from the Liberation of the town and the celebration of its Patron Saint, St. Minas, as representative of the Government.

The Minister of National Defence was accompanied by the Chief of Hellenic Army General Staff, Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis as representative of the Chief of Hellenic National Defence General Staff, the Chief of Hellenic Navy General Staff, Vice Admiral Dimitrios – Eleftherios Kataras HN, and the Chief of Hellenic Air Force General Staff, Lieutenant General (HAF) Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, and attended the Doxology held in the Metropolitan Church of the town. The doxology was officiated by their Eminences Metropolitans of Kastoria Mr. Kallinikos and Dimitriada & Almyros Mr. Ignatios, and His Grace the Bishop of Tanagra Mr. Apostolos.

Following, Mr. Dendias laid a wreath at the Statue of Germanos Karavangelis and attended the parade of civilians and military sections in Megalos Alexandros Avenue.

The anniversary festivities were also attended by MP Maria Andoniou, the Head of Region for Western Macedonia Giorgos Amanatidis, the Mayor of Kastoria Giannis Korentsidis, the Secretary of the Decentralised Administration of Epirus – Western Macedonia Serafim Liapis, the Commanding General of C’ Army Corps/NRDC – GR “MEGAS ALEXANDROS” Lieutenant General Athanasios Garinis, the Deputy Head of Region for Kastoria Dimitrios Savvopoulos, the Deputy Head of Region for Western Macedonia, Pashalis Haroumenos, representatives of Local Government, General Officers, personnel of the Armed and Security Forces, representatives of institutions and cultural clubs, as well as spectators.

In his address, the Minister of National Defence stated:

“I feel particular joy and great honour to be here today with you, 112 years after the Liberation of Kastoria from Ottoman rule. At the same time, we are celebrating the memory of the Great Martyr St. Minas, the Patron Saint of Kastoria and honour all those who fought for the freedom of our Country.

Kastoria suffered the Ottoman rule for 527 years. On 11 November 1912, on the date that the Patron Saint of the town is celebrated, Greek forces occupied the town.

Today’s anniversary calls us to remember and honour all those, who, throughout the centuries, paid the ultimate price for the freedom of Greece, namely they paid with their lives.

As Greeks, we ought to maintain our collective memory during every anniversary. Not only as a historic memory, but also as an educating process for future generations.

I said it in Florina two days ago: I don’t believe in and avoid making stereotypical celebratory speeches.

However, I have deep faith in our Country, language, religion, traditions, and collective national memory. Those things constitute elements of the identity of Modern Hellenism and are our stable foundations in times of globalisation. The foundations to support the achievements of the Nation.

One could say that maintaining the national identity constitutes a conservative agenda. But I think that we should be clear about that.

The word “Conservative” does not have a negative connotation. It has a very intense and positive connotation. Progress and Conservation are not opposites. At least for people who speak the Greek language. The opposite of Conservation is Decadence, and the opposite of Progress is backwards progress.

Conservation and Progress can and must co-exist.

Alas if Hellenism cannot carefully conserve its identity’s foundations, upon which the whole nation has been built, and allows them to decay.

Alas if we allow decadence spoil our national memory and the beliefs of the future generations of Greeks. On which foundations will the progress of the country be built then?

And it is unthinkable to go backwards on our natural and legal limits, instead of achieving the national progress, which was attained with the blood and struggles of those we honour today.

We must, I believe, make it clear, that the conservation of our national identity is a deeply unifying action, as well as simultaneously conservative and progressive in itself.

It goes beyond political parties, governments, and political sides, and unifies Greeks. It also goes along with the aim for our European progress.

Greece joined the European Union under Konstantinos Karamanlis, in order to conserve and protect the nation; not make it decay.

We are ambitious to become a visible, conservative, progressive, and a proud parameter of what Europe is trying to achieve, to which we have contributed with fundamental values and morals.

Our ambition is not to be part of a stateless, unstable, nerveless, and vagabond cultural muddle.

I repeat the strong exhortation of Dionysis Savvopoulos to the 15-year-old Little Gladiator, the model Greek student:

“You will passionately raise conservation’s banner” and

“You will be a person like everyone else, but also a beacon of light”

Thank you very much”.