The Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias attended on Friday 25 April 2025, representing the President of the Government, the ceremony to celebrate the Great Martyr Saint George, Patron Saint of the Army, which was held at the Athens Concert Hall.
The ceremony was honoured with the the Deputy Minister of National Defence Thanassis Davakis, presence of the Chief HNDGS General Dimitrios Choupis, the Chief HAGS Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, the Chief HNGS Vice Admiral Dimitrios – Eleftherios Kataras, the Chief HAFGS Lieutenant General Dimosthenis Grigoriadis, as well as high and highest-ranking officers of the Armed Forces and Honorary Chiefs of HAGS.
The ceremony was also attended by the MP Dionysis Chatzidakis representing the President of the Parliament and MPs Nina Kasimati, Stylianos Fotopoulos and Evangelos Apostolakis.
Also, His Reverence Archimandrite Varnavas Theocharis representing His Excellency Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece, His Eminence Metropolitan Antonios of Vari, Voula and Vouliagmeni, His Eminence Metropolitan Nikolaos of Mesogaia and Lavreotiki, Metropolitan Grigorios of Peristeri, the Chief of the Hellenic Police Lieutenant General Dimitrios Mallios, the Chief of the Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral Tryfon Kontizas and the Coordinator for Attika of the Fire Brigade Major General Anastasios Pappas representing the Chief of the Fire Brigade, were also present.
In addition, the ceremony was attended by representatives of the Regional and Local Administration, representatives of organisations and Universities, and donors of the Armed Forces.
In his address at the ceremony, the Minister of National Defence stated the following:
“Ladies and Gentlemen,
It is with supreme pleasure and honour that I am here today.
At the official celebration of Saint George’s memory.
A dominating figure of our religious faith, but also our folklore tradition.
As said by the Chief, his image adorns the war flags of the Hellenic Army as of 1864. Patron Saint as of 1953 of the Army and the Infantry. An Arm with which I am connected, due to my 28-month service as a reserve Officer.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Saint George is not recalled to the Hellenism’s collective memory only as a moral standard.
Or as a standard of military virtue.
Or as sung in his Holy Service: “Most blessed servant of God, Saint George, soldier of the Sky and guardian of the earth”.
Apart from his name, which has as its root the word “gaea” (= “earth”), it makes sense as an example, if it gives meaning to today.
A while ago, the Chief referred to one of Valaoritis’ verses.
I remember when I was at school, one of Seferis’ verses:
“Saint George the Rider should stand up and thrust the spear into the dragon”.
And the dragon, ladies and gentlemen, is still alive to this day.
And threatens the Army’s future, just like our enemies.
It is the dragon of useless bureaucracy.
The dragon of complacency in the assurances of yesterday, not to say the day before yesterday.
It is the dragon of insufficient training for our draftees.
It is the dragon of tenths of obsolete premises that are being merged.
It is the dragon of our understaffed Units, the reversed pyramid of our members.
It is the dragon that we have to defeat.
Ladies and gentlemen, I do hope that Saint George will help us with that.
Because there are lots of things that we have to change.
As I have said many times now, we need a thorough reform. And you, the members of the Hellenic Army, know that better than anyone. Our Country’s defense requires a long-term and detailed planning.
And the “Agenda 2030” consists of the State’s response to that great need; and not just a list of priorities. It is a holistic vision of defense, deterrence, technological modernization and economic growth. Defense may be a factor of enrichment for our society.
It also constitutes a programme for the improvement of the career, the living conditions and the payroll of our members.
Geopolitical tensions, the conventional and hybrid threats, the technological developments made the need for a complete redesign imperative.
Because as I have also repeatedly said, Greece is not as fortunate as Luxemburg. It is not situated in a calm geopolitical corner of Europe. It is situated exactly there, at the crossroads of continuous geopolitical variables, instability, competition, and unpredictable conflicts.
Therefore, in order for Greece to survive, we have to change everything.
And that is what we are doing with the “Agenda 2030”. The Agenda is implemented. The recently approved by the Governmental Council on Foreign Policy and National Defense Plan of Forces Structure and the Long-term Defense Equipment Planning includes our Country’s main strategic options for the following 12, plus 8, totally 20 years in total.
For all I know, I cannot remember our Country making a 20-year planning on anything. And the only way to achieve that, is through transparency.
Each programme over 10 million euro shall evolve only upon special deliberation at the Greek Parliament’s subcommittee on armaments, whose enlargement shall be requested by my letter to the President of the Parliament as soon as it meets again next Monday. And of course as required by law, following a special decision of the Governmental Council on Foreign Policy and National Defense to that effect.
We would like to point out that any matters relating to armaments neither constitute a privilege nor a feud for political parties.
They constitute the space for common approach and understanding of all parties, not to mention of all Greeks.
Therefore, we focus on the modernization of our forces, by incorporating systems but mainly concepts and a culture that fits for the 21st century.
From the “Achilles Shield”, the Artillery’s Missile systems, the anti-drone systems like “CENTAURUS” to the fighters’ upgrading through the “Modern Fighter” programme that are already underway.
Ladies and Gentlemen,
At this point, I should like to thank and congratulate every member of the Hellenic Army personnel.
And to express my deepest and most sincere appreciation for their contribution, their enormous contribution to the defense of our Country’s integrity.
To the protection of its Sovereignty and its Sovereign rights.
May Saint George protect the Hellenic Army”.
The ceremony was presented by the journalist Georgios Sideris and the Second Lieutenant Konstantina Petropoulou, while the actor Leonidas Kakouris read and recited abstracts from famous literary works, inspired by military historical events.
During the ceremony, a musical tribute took place with performers from the Military Band of the Higher Military Command of Army Support, Major Apostolos Kalpakidis, Second Lieutenant Konstantinos Gremoutis, Warrant Officer Alexandra Papastergiopoulou, Warrant Officer Theodora Samara, Warrant Officer Thomas Tsotsis, Professional Conscript Marina Lypirou, and Gina Foteinopoulou and Michalis Dimitrakos from the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra. The performers were accompanied respectively by the Military Band of the Higher Military Command of Army Support with Maestro Major Xenofon Mentes conducting and the ERT Contemporary Music Orchestra conducted by Georgios Aravidis and the Production Management by Vasileios Dramountanis.
