The Deputy Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikolaos Hardaliascontinuing his contacts with the diaspora in the context of the official visit he is making to Australia, today Thursday 27 October 2022, attended a series of events held in Adelaide, as below:

– Visited the Greek Nursing Home”Basil’s Nursing Home”, where he was welcomed by the Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Nursing Home, Mr. Haris Patsouris. Mr. Hardalias, with particular pleasure, met and talked with our Compatriots who are accommodated in the structure, accompanied by members of the Presidential Guard, in the presence of the Vice-Admiral Efthimios Mikros PN, as a representative of S.A. of the President of the Hellenic Republic.

– Went to the headquarters of the Greek Orthodox Community of South Australia, where he met with the Chairman of the Board of Directors, Mr. Emmanuel Koutela, members of the Board of Directors and the Supervisory Committee, with whom he discussed matters of concern to the Greek Diaspora.

– Participated in a working lunch with expatriates from the active and dynamic business community, whom he informed about the development of the Greek economy despite the difficult periods of parallel and continuous crises that have serious effects and upheavals in the economies of even the most economically powerful states in the world, which and invited them to consider the exceptional economic conditions and Greek growth rates and to invest in the Motherland.

Vice-Admiral Efthimios Mikros PN was also present as a representative of A.E. President of the Hellenic Republic, the Prime Minister of South Australia, Mr. Peter Malinauskas, the Minister of Infrastructure & Transport and (Minister of) Energy & Mines Mr. Tom Koutsantonis and others.

– He was at the headquarters of the Cypriot Community of South Australia, where he met with representatives and members of Associations of Greek Cypriots in the Diaspora, with whom he discussed issues of concern to the Cypriot Community. Representatives of the respective Greek Community were also present at the meeting.

– Participated in a working dinner hosted by the Hellenic-Australian Lawyers Association, with the participation of expatriate Judges and Lawyers. Vice-Admiral Efthimios Mikros PN was also present as a representative of A.E. President of the Hellenic Republic, the Minister of Infrastructure & Transport and (Minister) of Energy & Mines Mr. Tom Koutsantonis as representative of the Prime Minister of South Australia, the Federal Member of Parliament Mrs. Laura Curranthe State Member of Parliament Ms. Irene Msevmatikosthe President of the Greek Community of Melbourne & Victoria Mr. Bill Papastergiadis and others.

In his greeting at the event, the Deputy Minister of National Defense said, among other things:

“I would like to thank you for organizing this wonderful event and for your very warm welcome.

Ladies and gentlemen, among the many and varied Greek-Australian organizations active in Australia, the Union of Greek Lawyers stands out as a real gem. Not only because it gathers a significant number of highly educated members of our Diaspora, but mainly considering their field of expertise. We cannot but be proud of the existence of an Association like this, which brings together prominent jurists with a Greek or philhellenic background, here, more than 13,000 kilometers away from Greece.

I have to admit that I always take great pleasure in addressing audiences with a legal background when I discuss issues related to my duties as Deputy Secretary of National Defense. This is because I believe that their members can better understand the importance of safeguarding the flagship of our country’s national defense and security policy. And I am of course referring to International Law.

Dear participants, we live in a time when International Law is facing an unprecedented, malicious and relentless attack from various sides. We have been witnessing what has been taking place in Ukraine for the past 8 months as a result of the brazen and unprovoked Russian invasion. But President Putin’s aggressiveness did not materialize in days or months. It was the culmination of several years of serious violations of Ukraine’s territorial integrity, political independence and sovereignty. These actions were the products of a revisionist and redemptive interpretation of history and international relations that, in the minds of their initiators, justified the redrawing of borders through the use of force. Trying to maintain pretense in the pre-invasion period, and as part of a hybrid war against Ukraine, the Kremlin engaged in malicious legal warfare (lawfare), i.e. a deliberate misinterpretation of International Law or a distortion of the facts in order to give an impression of compliance with International Law.

If you notice similarities of the events I described above with what is happening in other regions of the planet, you are right. Russia is certainly not the only violator of International Law on the world stage, nor the only international agitator who uses, allow me the expression, transnational “psychological manipulation”. Similar, alarming phenomena are observed in the Eastern Mediterranean and the Pacific Ocean, particularly with regard to the interpretation and application of the Law of the Sea.

Greece and Australia have chosen to behave in accordance with the international rule of law. This is precisely why we signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, which arguably establishes a comprehensive law and order regime in the world’s oceans and seas by establishing rules governing the uses of the oceans and their res. .

However, we see that there are some international actors who do not share our vision of a rules-based world order. This sorry state of affairs makes the need for vigilance, deterrence and coordination among law-abiding and peace-loving nations more apparent than ever.

Dear fellow countrymen, my visit to Australia was full of emotional moments, but I can safely say that the time I shared with members of our Diaspora was the one that gave me the most satisfaction. You are our best ambassadors here in your second home, whose culture you enrich with your innovative ideas, your entrepreneurial spirit and, of course, your legal prowess.

We are very proud of everything you offer, of what you stand for the Motherland, many kilometers away from the Homeland but always with your mind in the blue of our Aegean, our sky, our Flag. And above all of the Motherland itself. Long live Greece. Long live Australia. Happy birthday for tomorrow’s big celebration, of “NO”.

Thanks”.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense was accompanied to the events by the Consul General of Greece in Adelaide, Mr. George Psiachas and the Greek Adjutant Defense Colonel Ioannis Fasianos.