Minister of National Defence Handover Ceremony

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Minister of National Defence Handover Ceremony

May 26, 2023

On Friday 26 May 2023, the Ministerhandover ceremony took place at the Ministry of National Defence between Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos and Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis.

The ceremony was also attended by the outgoing Deputy Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias,the Chief HNDGS, General Konstantinos Floros,the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defence,Mr. Antonios Ikonomou, the Chief HAFGS, Lieutenant General (HAF) Themistoklis Bourolias,the Chief HAGS, Lieutenant GeneralAngelos Choudeloudis,the Chief HNGS, Vice AdmiralIoannis Drymoussis HN, as well as other officials.

The outgoing Minister of National Defence, Mr. Nikolaos Panagiotopoulos,gave the following address:

"I share some thoughts of mine with you, that I wrote on paper in the last minute, in order not to forget anything or anyone, on the occasion of the Ministry of National Defence handover ceremony.

After four years of leading the Ministry of National Defence, today I hand my duties over to the caretaker Minister and good friend Alkiviadis Stefanis.

I am really glad that this man is coming here to take care of the Ministry during this period. These four years were difficult years but also exciting.

We faced lots of situations. Surely much more than what we imagined when each of us was assigned our duties. But we managed.

We handled all unprecedented challenges presented before us;Challenges against the sovereignty of the country. Challengesfrom a global medical crisis, challenges from the migratory pressures and the attempt to invade Evros in February 2020; challenges from the unprecedented tensions with our neighbors in the months that followed.

Challenges from the outbreak of a war on European soil and everything that followed: a shock in the economy, energy, global stability, the geopolitical security due to the war.

But we managed. We handled things with God's help and furthermore we performed another especially beneficial national duty, that is we implemented and executed and still proceed with the project of reinforcing the country's Armed Forces, which is the plan of strengthening the homeland.

We did that together. It was team work. All we faced and handled is not the work of one man; it is the work of all of us.

I am really proud of having led this great effort, representing the Political Leadership of the Ministry of National Defence.

I would like to believe that I honored the trust that the Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis showed to me. I would like to believe so and I believe that I performed my duty.

I stated here, four years ago, during the handover ceremony then, that from today, the day that is that I took over, I am also a soldier of Greece.

That is how I functioned, how I felt, and I believe the results of this effort are visible and imprinted both personally and surely collectively in the recent elections, when society appreciated the great effort and the strengthening of the country.

If I learned something all these years, besides bearing the flag proudly on my lapel - and feeling a little short in its absence, was to perform my duty; This sense of duty that all Armed Forces members consciously bear deep inside them. It was to be reliable and faithful to this duty.

The difficulties were numerous, but we handled them, to a great extent above expectations. To present exactly the way I functioned and felt and still do, I will give you some great words from a speech of a former U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt, in Paris in 1910, to a somehow neutral audience, but these words accurately embody my spirit and I would like to believe the spirit of all of us.

So, Theodore Roosevelt states:

"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood; who strives valiantly; who errs, who comes short again and again, because there is no effort without error and shortcoming; but who does actually strive to do the deeds; who knows great enthusiasms, the great devotions; who spends himself in a worthy cause; who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement, and who at the worst, if he fails, at least fails while daring greatly, so that his place shall never be with those cold and timid souls who neither know victory nor defeat."

So, these words define my attitude towards public office, and be certain they still do and will continue so.

So, knowing that I address people who deeply understand the essence of a warrior, the one who fights, what is important is to fight and keep fighting.

The effort continues, because the effort for even more deterrent Armed Forces, for an even stronger Greece, never stops.

So, I thank you all for this extremely effective cooperation. It was a pleasure and mainly a great honor for me.

I would like to thank the Political Leadership for being supportive to all this effort, the Deputy Minister, the Secretary General, you were valuable partners.

I would like to thank the Chief HNDGS for the especially close and effective cooperation. I would like to thank the Chiefs of General Staff. I would like to thank the close partners in the Ministry, the General Directors of the General Directorates, all my partners in the Ministry without exception, with whom we spent many hours on the problems, tackling the problems, helping each other solve them.

If I wronged anyone, I am sorry. If I was wronged by anyone, I forgive you all. What counts is the effort and I believe the effort that was made and as I said, the results are visible and measurable and the effort was without doubt extremely great and I would say, I can say that, invaluable in national terms.

Once again I thank you all for the cooperation. Finally, I thank all Armed Forces personnel, the officers, the staff officers, the men and women across the country who executed their mission.

In my last participation a few days ago in the inter-ministerial meeting of the EU Defence Ministers, I concluded by saying that we are all men of public office with a mission. Our mission is to keep our countries, Europe, and the world safe.

I believe that during my time in office this mission was accomplished and we set the foundations to further enhance security and strengthen the country in the future.

Once again I thank you, it was a great honor for me".

The outgoing Deputy Minister of National Defence Mr. Nikolaos Hardalias pointed out:

"As a good friend said twenty one months ago from this place, "mission accomplished"; a mission which is a special journey, with the eyes always on the blue of our flag, our country, the remote places of the country, on 271 formations, outposts, units. A journey, which at the end makes us feel better as human beings and consequently as Ministers.

I would like to thank from the bottom of my heart the Minister for the immense trust he had in me. I would like to thank the Secretary General, the personnel, for the flawless cooperation.

Above and beyond anything else, I would like to thank the Chief of General Staff, our Chiefs, because through their experience, their guidance, we were able to be really useful, to solve little, big problems, to cover small omissions, to remedy little and big glitches and problems.

I believe at the end of the journey what is important, besides the very important things that the Political Leadership achieved these four years in cooperation with the Military Leadership, is that we managed to be useful to the country.

With these thoughts this cycle closes, and consider these thoughts not as goodbye, but as a big thanks".

The Secretary General of the Ministry Mr. Antonios Oikonomou stated:

"Ladies and gentlemen,

It is the fifth time that I say goodbye to a Defence Minister and I welcome a new Minister. It was the first time though that a Minister stayed for the entire four-year period.

Four years is a lot in terms of time and politics. Many things happen in four years; good, bad, unpleasant, pleasant, and personal relationships are often tested for many reasons. The reasons are indeed many, but all these are behind us now.

Today we do not review what we have done so far. This was proven in the best way by the Greek people a week ago and was approved beyond doubt.

Today, as a human being, I say goodbye to a person whom I was with for four whole years. A friend, whom I will meet again in the future in politics. That is life.

Minister, a big thanks for the cooperation, and I wish to you and our beloved Natassa good health and success in your life. All the above apply to the Director of the Minister as well, Mr. Valaris. My friends, we will always be around and we will meet again.

Now, for the new Minister I refuse to speak again. It is the second time that we are together in a similar ceremony. I said goodbye two years ago and today I welcome him back. I have talked about him many times and everyone is familiar with this.

The motto that life runs in circles with Alkis is absolutely true. For ten years we walk side by side.

Minister, my friend Nikos, all the best.

Minister, my friend Alkis, welcome.

Regarding Nikos Hardalias today, unfortunately I must say goodbye to him too. My friend Nikos, I wish you all the best. We still have a long road ahead.

All the best to you all".

The Minister of National Defence Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis pointed out the following:

"I start by saying that it is a great pleasure to be here and I start with the phrase: "To serve the country is an honor, but mainly it is a duty".

Based on this, I am very proud and deeply honored for the position I hold. The honor of course is not to me.

The honor is to all Armed Forces personnel, who by fighting hard on land, in the sea and air, give their all, so that the impression that each Political Leadership has about the Armed Forces is excellent.

So, through this logic, my present assignment in the Ministry honors all Armed Forces. The Deputy Minister said what I said when departing, "mission accomplished" and he said it for himself as well, and I completely agree for both the Minister and the Deputy Minister.

The mission was accomplished in relation by the persons in these positions. But the Armed Forces' mission is continuous and we are just simple servants of the Armed Forces' institutional role.

The Armed Forces' mission is the one that guarantees our Country's position worldwide and our Country's position worldwide in accordance with the Armed Forces' value stands very high.

I start with the Minister and say from the bottom of my heart good luck and we thank him very much for everything he offered to the Ministry.

The Minister was a "soldier". He was a worker. He loved the Armed Forces and showed respect and honor and this reflects upon us. You showed respect and this respect of yours was reciprocated by the Armed Forces at the highest level possible.

We thank him very much for everything he did for us and we wish him strength.

When I handed over my duties to the Deputy Minister, I really felt happy, because I handed them over to a man who was and is workaholic, to a man who understands the meaning of hard work and carried out his duties in the best way possible.

I was happy seeing him traveling Greece and the presence of the political leadership of the Ministry be everywhere and always at the highest level.

Regarding the mission of the caretaker Government, I declare that, according to the Constitution, it is to take care of the State, so that there is no power vacuum.

It is the Government that controls the enforcement of the laws until the Greek people decide on the next Government. This is my mission and I intend to execute it with consistency.

I feel very happy because I see old friends here, the Chief HNDGS, whom I hold dear, and the Chiefs of the Services and all personnel, congratulating them for the outstanding performance and thanking from the bottom of my heart for the excellent level of the Armed Forces.

The Armed Forces, General, are a valuable "tool". They are the pillar of the Nation, they have earned everybody's love and we thank you for this from the bottom of our heart. We are certain that you will continue so at the highest level. Besides, this morning, at the Cabinet, I assured the Prime Minister that regarding the upcoming elections in Turkey and the need for the Armed Forces to be ready and watch what is going on, we are certain that they do that the best way possible.

Once again, Minister, we wish you from the bottom of our heart the best, and we wish the same to the Deputy Minister. I left the Secretary General for last, whom I meet again here and I am certain that he will provide once again his valuable knowledge to keep on following our path.

Allow me, Minister, to address your partners as well, because in them I found good friends and I refer to my beloved Thanasis.

Thanasis, we are classmates from the Military Academies, so our relationship goes back 45 years. I wish good health to you and your family. Many times you have exceeded the boundaries of human stamina in your effort to help the Minister implement his duties. We thank you very much for this.

With the rest of your associates, Minister, the cooperation will continue, because they are valuable partners for me as well.

Once again I thank you all. It is a pleasure and honor to be here with you. All the best to you".