Officers, NCOs, Privates, Seamen, Airmen, National Guards and Civilians,
On the occasion of the New Year, I would like to express you my warmest wishes for health, progress and any other good for you and your families.
Over the last year we showed in action that we took initiatives and brought changes for the reinforcement and rationalization of our national defence system with determination and courage. We continued to work under transparency and we applied specific measures to reinforce our deterrence capability against external dangers and threats.
Our country, despite the financial crisis, has remained the main pillar of stability and Europe’s stronghold in its struggle to stop the expansion of fundamentalist tendencies and asymmetric threats from the line of instability stretching above the wider area of South-eastern Europe, Northern Africa and Middle East.
At the same time, the Armed Forces have been the strong deterrence power for everybody who covets our national rights and they are a permanent power of stability and guarantee of our country’s defence, confronting hegemonic dreams and unhistorical claims with determination and composure.
Women and men of the Armed Forces,
In 2017 I am calling on you all to continue together, in cooperation with the military leadership, to reinforce our combat force to safeguard our territorial integrity and our national sovereignty.
For our government, protecting the interests of the Greek nation is an non negotiable objective and I am using the word nation because we should not forget about Greek Cypriots; supporting them is a national obligation for us.
The feeling of security is established every day among our society too, through the presence of the Armed Forces in cases of air evacuations, natural disasters and fires, as well as through a grid of initiatives which we take in cooperation with local communities.
With this social contribution, the Armed Forces become a substantial foothold for the Greek people all over the Greek territory and particularly in remote frontier areas. We ought, therefore, to continue and expand this work in 2017.
I remind you that our country, through your discreet contribution to the assistance and accommodation offered to refugees, was seen by humanity as the cornerstone of humanitarianism and your offer is a milestone because you conducted a rich and multi-faceted work with a clearly national character and orientation.
Women and men of the Armed Forces,
We are determined, in the new year, acknowledging that you are the soul and the motive power of our defence system, to continue providing solutions for the numerous problems which you deal with, having always in mind as our top priority to improve the living standards of you and your families.
2017 will be a year of national rise and reconstruction. In this effort, we ought to work together. The New Year is a new beginning. Coming out of the financial crisis, utilizing our geostrategic position which you safeguarded and reinforced with your readiness and professionalism, we will manage to make our homeland more powerful.
Moreover, with a national vision and willingness for hard work, we all ought to contribute – each one of us with the duties that they perform – to the enhancement of our national defence and the demonstration of our national force so that our country will continue to be a power of peace, security and stability in the region.
Having experienced your national mission and the high morale with which you guard our nation’s ideals 365 days per year, I wish 2017 to be a year of prosperity, creativity, personal and family happiness for all of you.
Happy New Year!
Minister of National Defence
Panos Kammenos
