The reception at the Presidential Palace was attended by Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, political leaders, ministers, MPs, while the President of the Republic Katerina Sakellaropoulou, due to the special nature of this year’s event, has invited mayors of critical and martyred areas, representatives of Civil Society, distinguished athletes and team captains who have won European trophies, flood victims from Thessaly, people from the fields of letters and arts, Greeks who have distinguished themselves abroad for their scientific research, but also ordinary citizens who have distinguished themselves for their contribution to humanity and they moved the whole of Greece with their actions.
Among the guests are representatives of the national football team that won Euro 2004. Angelos Basinas, Takis Physsas, Yiannis Topalidis, Dimitris Papadopoulos, Kostas Chalkias and Giorgos Karagounis are present.
Republic Day: The message of the PtD. Katerina Sakellaropoulou
“We honor all those, present and absent, who risked their youth, their freedom and their lives, for the good of all of us”, pointed out the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou during her speech on the 50th anniversary of the restoration of the Republic , at the Presidential Palace.
Katerina Sakellaropoulou underlined that “Cyprus won the place it deserves in Europe. It is, however, still a semi-occupied country. We never forget our highest national debt, the definitive vindication of the Cypriot struggle”. He added at the same time that “Greeks should be proud of what they have achieved. Post-colonial Greece left behind the post-war backwardness. It’s another Greece now.”
He also pointed out that “the challenges are multiple and go beyond our national borders”, while he said that “we owe the Greeks and the next generations, who will take on the burdens of our homeland, a continuation worthy and even better of these fifty years”.
Her speech in detail
Today is a historic day. Fifty years after the return to Greece of Konstantinos Karamanlis and the restoration of democracy, the memories remain very much alive. They fill us with emotion and gratitude to those who fought selflessly against the dictatorship. Who were tortured inhumanely, like Spyros Moustakles, Alekos Panagoulis, Sakis Karagiorgas. We honor all those, present and absent, who risked their youth, their freedom and their lives, for the good of us all.
We also recall with pain the Cyprus issue, the biggest and open wound of Hellenism, five decades after the hideous Turkish invasion. Cyprus has earned its rightful place in Europe. It is, however, still a semi-occupied country. We never forget our highest national debt, the final justification of the Cypriot struggle, based on the decisions of the United Nations and the EU acquis.
Today we celebrate the Postcolonization, the smoothest and most progressive period of our modern history. A political, social and cultural conquest of the Greeks. With the milestone of the universal enjoyment of democracy and the removal of exclusions and discrimination. The state was resolved, the Communist Party was legalized, the national resistance was recognized, the certificates of social opinions were abolished. These may sound obvious now, but there were important steps for a State of freedom and equality. The undisputed elections, the smooth rotation of parties in power and the stability of parliamentarism show the depth and endurance of our democratic institutions, even in difficult times for society and the political system.
Postcolonialism is a period of intellectual upliftment. Censorship was succeeded by freedom of expression, the spring in letters and the arts. Private life, morals and standards of behavior escaped the conservatism of the past. Education, once a privilege of the few, became a common good and a belt of social mobility. The Greeks acquired more possibilities and enriched their performances, studied and traveled abroad.
Our history was marked, like no other event, by the accession to the European Union and then to the Eurozone. It has been instrumental in improving our standard of living, institutions, perceptions and way of life. European and Greek identity are not distinguishable, they are inseparable. Our country consolidated its presence at the heart of the Union, becoming a guarantor of security in the eastern Mediterranean and the wider region. The Greeks should be proud of what they have achieved. Post-colonial Greece left behind the post-war backwardness. It is now another Greece.
We have, however, passed through this half-century, great trials and vicissitudes. We experienced the successive crises of our time, with the financial one at the top. We were confronted with correlations and external factors, but also with our own weaknesses and pathologies. We witnessed tragic events, in Mati and Tempi, which hurt us deeply. Postcolonial traumas call us to self-criticism, reflection and vigilance. They remind us of the importance of consensus and the general interest over petty politics and inaction for reasons of political cost. As well as our duty of zero tolerance for any form of political violence and questioning of the fundamental values of our culture. The quality of democracy is not a given, nor does history have a linear development. Especially in a transitory and changing world.
The challenges are multiple and go beyond our national borders. Artificial intelligence is bringing revolutionary changes in many fields, such as health, work, education. At the same time, we worry about its distortions, the erosion of democracy and our personal sphere by fake news, the substitution of human resources by algorithms. Accuracy, the reduction of purchasing power and the opening of the gap between the winners and losers of globalization dictate the need for regulations and public policies based on social justice and equality of opportunity. We seek a better and more efficient State, citizen-friendly, fair, with sustainable development. The climate crisis threatens us existentially. No procrastination is excused in dealing with it.
International coordination and cultivation of the ecological consciousness of all of us is required. In the migration and refugee issue, the protection of borders, a European affair, must be harmonized with respect for human life and value. Tragedies like Pylos attack the core of our culture. The armed conflicts in Ukraine and Israel and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza highlight the fragile geopolitical balances, as well as our responsibility to defend our basic principles, those that serve the harmonious coexistence between peoples. Liberal democracy is at a critical crossroads and must reinvent and renew itself.
Here tonight are figures from civil society, in whom we recognize the Post-colonialism, its successes, but also its wounds. I want to assure them that our gaze is not only on the past and the reckoning. It is oriented towards the future of our State, towards what is to come, the fears and expectations of our people. We owe the Greeks and the next generations, who will take on the burdens of our country, a continuation worthy and even better of these fifty years. Drawing strength from their democratic and liberal example and giving it new life, meaning and momentum.
Thank you.
What Kyriakos Mitsotakis said about the Commissioner of Greece to the EU
On the sidelines of the reception at the Presidential Palace, journalists asked Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis about the appointment of an EU Commissioner from Greece.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis was content to say that “the country will have a Commissioner and the privilege of choosing a Commissioner belongs exclusively to our country”. He also emphasized that each country sends one person and that we do not yet know the portfolio. However, Apostolos Tzitzikostas remains the favorite for this position.
Kyriakos Mitsotakis revealed that he is preparing to go to Paris for the opening ceremony of the Olympic games… “I am preparing to go, we will do well. We have a big mission” he said characteristically in a well with the journalists.
He was even asked if he is going to see a match of the National Men’s Basketball, but the fact that he is playing in the city of Lille stands in the way of the Prime Minister seeing the “official favorite” in person. “No, I don’t think I’ll go to basketball, it’s far away. It’s about two hours to go and two hours to come back. In Paris he has tennis, we have swimming… I’ll be back on Sunday.”
The wells that stood out – The Kasselaki wedding is in the spotlight
There was no shortage of wells, as is usual in such cases.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis had a special conversation with the Speaker of the Parliament Kostas Tasoulas, while Stefanos Kasselakis spoke with Loukas Papademos, Nikos Androulakis and Zoe Konstantopoulou.
Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis asked the president of SYRIZA if he is preparing for his wedding with Tyler Macbeth in Crete. “Preparations for the wedding are going well” was the answer of Stefanos Kasselakis.
The president of PASOK, Nikos Androulakis, also intervened in the discussion, who said between humor and seriousness: “In Eastern Crete, weddings are going great, in the west we have a problem» meaning the prefectures of Rethymno and Chania that remained blue on the map of the European elections…
Sakellaropoulou for the… second term
Also, during a dialogue of PtD Katerina Sakellaropoulou at a “well”, she was asked “Will you still be here in the next five years?” and she replied “I don’t decide. It’s what we also say in Law, you’re asking me in vain.”
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