The Minister of National Defence Panos Kammenos accompanied by the HNDGS Chief Admiral Evangelos Apostolakis, visited the Headquarters of the Hellenic Force in Kosovo in the region of Pristina, to exchange Easter greetings with the personnel.

The Minister of Defence in his address stated the following :

“It is a great honour to be here these Holy Easter Days before the Resurrection of Jesus, with the men and women of the Hellenic Armed Forces who serve in the context of NATO KFOR , in the Hellenic Force in Kosovo.  

I want you to know that from this place you serve above all Greece, and you are proving this. You service is very important and simultaneously you promoting the role and the interest of our country in the wider Balkan region. The common objective with our Allies is the cooperation, the development and the establishment of a stable Balkan environment, focused on peace, stability, Democracy, respect of International Law and good neighbourly relations.

We believe that the maintenance of peace in this region has an immediate impact on Greece and  is a matter of utter importance. Instability and crisis spots emerging in the Balkans clearly affect Greece.

Especially today when the situation in the region remains fragile, the constant presence of the international factor constitutes a rather substantial element for the safekeeping of tranquility and security.  

We live in an era when balances are disrupted and rearrangements come one after the other.  In this rapidly changing environment, with all these  unpredictable conditions and new standards, Greece has been recognized as the main pillar of stability in the wider region of the Balkans and SE Mediterranean. Greece also substantially contributes to the promotion of cooperation among countries and aspires to peace and the consolidation of Democracy and security in the wider region.  

I would like to reassure you that recently, after the US elections the role of Greece is being upgraded because of its geopolitical position and the developments especially in North Africa, the Middle East and the Balkans. The upgrade of the Souda Bay role, the signing of a very important defence agreement with the United States of America and its expansion from 1 to 5 years, the bilateral initiatives we have assumed in the wider Mediterranean region especially with the signing of an agreement with Israel , the agreements with Jordan, the agreements with Egypt and the moderate Middle East countries, render Greece a geopolitical power, a fact inextricably linked with the energy policy mapped in the Mediterranean region.    

Greece no longer plays the role of the “supporting actor”, it slowly but surely regains a leading role in the establishment of a great pillar of stability vis-à-vis the Islamic terrorism, fundamentalism and the new phenomena we are witnessing in the area.

The upgrade of the role of Greece in the wider geopolitical area via military cooperations aims to reinforce the war against terrorism, which is taking its toll and leaving its mark on the Middle East and North Africa.

We are witnessing attacks in the great capitals of Europe, we are witnessing the creation of an environment of insecurity and we have assumed the great role to establish infrastructure and military cooperations to manage this phenomenon.

At the same time, defending the sovereign rights of the Greek Nation is our nonnegotiable position. These are guaranteed by the powerful Armed Forces, with their personnel of high morale, who are ready and determined to execute their  demanding mission.  

You know better than me that throughout Greece, especially in border areas , the islands and in Evros, in cooperation with the military leadership, which is responsible for mapping out policies, our Units have been reinforced.  

We are conveying a clear message that we are not holding back, we are answering all provocations. It is absolutely clear that we will implement all national plans if our national sovereignty and territorial integrity are challenged.

I would also like to stress that we are doing all we can to restore the great blows the Armed Forces personnel has suffered due to the financial crisis. Already, during these two years we have managed to avoid the further reduction of the MoD budget which was targeted by the loaners. So far, our budget has not been reduced at all. On the contrary, we have created the background, so that with the exploitation of the Armed Forces properties which amount to 34 billion Euro, meaning by renting them, we will be able through the National Defence Funds of the Army, the Navy and the Air Force  to have the desired income which we will return to the personnel.

Making antiquated, non-operational but active materiel, eg ammunition available, is bringing income to the MoD budget. Recently, following a proposal by the General Staffs Chiefs Council and the endorsement by the Governmental Council on Foreign Policy and National Defence, we signed agreements which amount to approximately 80 million Euro.   This money will be allocated to the establishment of infrastructure to the benefit of personnel. Last year, in cooperation with the military leadership 101 houses were built for Officers and NCOs throughout Greece. I hope that this year we will deliver more than 420 residencies to you and your families. With the agreements we will sign I hope that we will deliver on an annual basis more than 1000 residencies for the personnel.  

The Government is committed and determined to reinstate the wage losses through the decisions reached by the State Council and is doing so as far as the MoD budget is concerned, by keeping this money, and I do hope that after the signing of the final agreement with the loaners and the exit of Greece from the memoranda we will be able to further implement it.  

During these Holy days up to the final part of the Divide Drama with the Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, it goes without saying that you would all want to be with your families and loved ones. Rest assured that your families and we are all by your side, we are thinking of you and we are proud of you and your work.

Closing, I call you to continue with your mission with the same enthusiasm and devotion and to wish to each and every one of you health and a Happy Easter.

Rest assured that we the Greek people acknowledge what the Armed Forces mean, not only for their security but also for the reinforcement of the geopolitical role of our country, presenting solutions for the financial crisis as well.

Happy Easter. May you have strength and health to assist you in your mission.
We thank you from the depths of our hearts” .