President of the Hellenic Republic Constantine Tassoulas on Friday visited the national defence ministry, where he emphasised that the country’s armed forces are the guardians of “what is most valuable for the Greek people, their security and freedom,” while noting that they have succeeded in making Greeks feel that these are in good hands.
“I am at the Ministry of National Defence, fulfilling the duty of institutional communication between the President of the Republic and the Armed Forces. The relations between the President of the Republic and the Armed Forces are constitutionally indissoluble,” he said.
“The defence of territorial integrity and national sovereignty, with everything that these important concepts entail, is the highest mission of the State,” he added.
Referring to the changes in the global security architecture, he pointed out that “times are moving fast and, alongside preparation, alongside vigilance, alongside determination, alongside deterrence, a new virtue is being built: the virtue of rapid adaptability.”
“Europe”, he continued, “is quickly adapting its own habits to these new rhythms. It now has a White Paper on Defence and has allocated billions in funding for defence and establishing strategic autonomy. And Greece, as a member-state of Europe, is participating in these changes of attitude, in the European awakening in relation to defence”.
“We have armed forces that are adapting to the new reality in all three branches,” he added, while noting the state’s obligation to “care for those who care”.
Defence Minister Nikos Dendias, welcoming the President, stated: “Your presence today at the Ministry of National Defence reflects the close bond of the State with the country’s Armed Forces.”
He noted that the changes in the global security architecture have taken on “historic dimensions”, while adding: “The security challenges in our wider region are enormous” and the conditions “exacerbate the already existing security issues of our homeland.”
“With the 2030 Agenda, we have created a new Deterrence Doctrine,” Dendias pointed out, while recalling that reforms are underway in all sectors of the Armed Forces. “The new security strategy will
upgrade our overall capabilities in the decades to come,” he said.
“This is,” he added, “a new philosophy that incorporates innovation, reshapes operational structures and equips the Armed Forces with new advanced means in fields that did not even exist until recently.”
He reiterated that the 2030 Agenda is not a “simple reform” but a “condition for survival” that must be implemented “if possible yesterday.”
