The Deputy Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias attended yesterday, Sunday, December 4, 2022, as a representative of the President of the Greek Government, at the event organized by the General Staff of the Navy at the Athens Concert Hall, in order to honor its officers and their families, in the context of the celebration of the Patron Saint of sailors, Saint Nikolaou and the 110th anniversary of the victorious naval battles of the Balkan Wars 1912-13.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense, as part of the event, awarded an officer of the Navy’s Submarine Command, for his 19 years of continuous service in the Submarines, by awarding an honorary plaque, while in his greeting he noted the following:

“It is a special honor, it is a special joy to be here today among you, before you. To be here honoring history, sacrifices, legacies of glorious years, glorious men, of the glorious history of our Navy, whose Patron Saint and Patron Saint Nicholas we celebrate today, in a double holiday that symbolizes the inseparable bond of Orthodoxy with the Armed Forces and at the same time highlights the timeless coupling of the two cornerstones of Hellenism, Homeland and Religion.

The relationship of our sailors with Agios Nikolaos, constitutes a deep and centuries-old experiential reality, which connects human nature with the divine and is transformed into the holy image of the Saint, which adorns every small and every large vessel in the seas of the world. It is that venerable, venerable form, which presides over every bow, constant watcher and calm helmsman, in hours of calm and in hours of storm, a holy image to which the thought of every mariner in reverence and deep faith turns effortlessly, asking for protection, asking guidance.

On this day, memories of national upliftment and pride arise in every Greek woman and man, emanating from the glorious naval epic of the Motherland over the centuries. Naval history that proves the absolute maritime dominance and the indestructible links of Hellenism with the liquid element, in an area of ​​rare geostrategic importance, being the crossroads of three continents, where for millennia there was a field of naval battles that marked Greek and world history.

There have been many events in the centuries-old historical heritage of Hellenism, which confirm “in fact” the absolute maritime sovereignty of the Nation and are aptly expressed by the saying of Pericles “The great state of the sea”.

From the naval battle of Salamis in ancient times and the triumph of the Greek triremes over the Persians, to the later dominance of the war routes during the Byzantine Empire. But also during the Paligenesian struggle, when the robust merchant fleet was transformed into battle squadrons, fighting the Turkish armadas, contributing the most to the development of our national liberation struggle.

In recent historical times, the victorious naval battles of our fleet, “HELLIS” and “LIMNOS”, which under the inspired leadership of Admiral Kountouriotis and with the legendary battleship “AVEROF” dominating the sea, played a decisive role in favorable for our country ending the Balkan Wars, definitively securing, irrevocably securing Greek sovereignty in the Aegean Sea.

Our Navy, throughout its centuries-long history, always gave a thunderous presence, fought with vigor for the high ideals of Hellenism, the ideals of Freedom, Democracy, Justice and consistently honored the country’s naval traditions, leaving his indelible stamp, on the survival but also on the final dominance of our Nation.

Today, it remains on the sea ramparts, a vigilant guard of the honor and dignity of the Motherland, being the main factor of the naval combat power, but also the main exponent of the traditional maritime identity and culture of the Greeks.

The Ministry of National Defense, as well as the entire Government, having fully realized the importance of the existence of a modern and strong Navy, makes every possible effort for its further modernization, with the continuous support and upgrading of its Units, systems and infrastructures, implementing an ambitious, holistic armaments program that includes the supply of modern ships and state-of-the-art weapon systems, which will give unique capabilities to our Navy in the coming years, making it dominant in the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean. And I can assure you that we still have a long way to go, with important armament programs being conceived, prepared, launched.

However, an indisputable force multiplier for our Navy is without any doubt its personnel, the men and women Officers and Non-Commissioned Officers, Sailors and Civilian Personnel, who immeasurably contribute and successfully manage to maintain the combat value of the Fleet at an ever-high level . A soulful potential, which proves in every action that seamanship and philanthropy have always been the only driving force, which is capable of achieving daily “miracles” at all levels, confirming that no matter how hard today’s technology to impose its supremacy, the final judge of success will always be man and his indomitable will to defend values, principles, ideals.

I would like to conclude this brief introduction with the well-known saying of Themistocles to the Spartan Admiral Eurybiades, “We have land and country as long as we have ships at sea!”. Words that ring timely and so true in today’s reality.

So we will always have a free, independent, democratic and proud land, as long as we have a modern and strong Navy, with its eyes always focused on the blue of our Sea, our Aegean, the blue of our Flag, the blue of our Homeland.

Happy birthday everyone. Thank you».

The event was attended by His Eminence Archimandrite Fr. Varnavas Theocharis as a representative of the Blessed Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, the Ministers of Immigration & Asylum Mr. Panagiotis Mitarakis and Maritime & Island Policy etc. Yannis Plakiotakisthe Deputy Ministers of Development & Investments, Mr. Yannis TsakirisLabor and Social Affairs etc. Domna MichailidouCitizen Protection Mr. Lefteris OikonomouTourism etc. Sophia Zacharakis and Climate Crisis & Civil Protection, Honorary Chief of GEA Wing Commander e.a. Evangelos Tournasthe Members of Parliament etc. Dionysios Hatzidakis (B3΄ of the South Sector of Athens), Olga Kefalogianni (A’ Athens), Andreas Koutsoubas (Boeotia), Spyridonas-Panagiotis Livanos (Etoloakarnania), Stefanos Gikas (Corfu), Theodoros Dritsas (A’ Piraeus) and Konstantinos Bogdanos (A’ Athens), the former Commissioner for Migration, Home Affairs & Citizenship of the European Union Mr. Dimitrios Avramopoulosand the Chiefs GEETHA General Konstantinos FlorosGES Lieutenant General Charalambos LalousisGEN Vice Admiral Stylianos Petrakis PN and GEA Vice Admiral (I) Themistocles Bourolias.

Also present were the President of the Supreme Court, Mrs. Maria Georgiouthe Chiefs of the Greek Police Lt. Gen Konstantinos Skoumasof the Fire Brigade Lieutenant General P.S. Alexios Rapanos and of the Coast Guard – Hellenic Coast Guard Vice Admiral L.S. George Alexandrakisthe Ambassador of France in Greece Mr. Patrick Maisonnavethe former Minister of Defense and Honorary Chief of GEETHA Admiral e.a. Evangelos Apostolakis PN, the General Secretary of Culture & Sports Mr. George Didaskalouthe head of the Defense Sector of PASOK – KINAL, Mr. George Farrier as well as delegations of Officers, NCOs and Civil Servants of the GEN.