“Today, the Armed Forces, the Greek people, the clergy, the political and state leaders of our country send a message of national unity and determination, from the capital of Macedonia, to anyone who dares to question the national sovereignty or territorial integrity of our country.

We are all ready to exclaim a big “No”. We wish to co-exist peacefully and we work towards this direction, but everyone should keep in mind that if somebody dares to question our country’s national sovereignty, he will have to face all of us united and he should know that he will pay dearly for his recklessness.

The Greek people are proud of their Armed Forces and our country’s Armed Forces are proud of the Greek people.

We are coming out of a large-scale financial crisis. Being the Head of the Armed Forces in my capacity as a political leader, I would like to thank all members, the officers, the NCOs, the conscripts, the civilian personnel and the members of the National Guard, for the great persistence and patience which they have demonstrated, for not lowering our country’s flag and for their high morale and determination.

Every Greek is proud of you”.