Message
From the President of the Hellenic Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou
To the Greeks abroad, on the occasion of Greek Independence Day of March 25th
My dear compatriots,
Greek women and Greek men abroad,
It is with great pleasure that I address you today, the Greeks abroad, for the first time since the beginning of my term, on the occasion of the anniversary of our National Holiday. On March 25, 1821, Greeks rebelled in order to expel the Ottoman conqueror, to regain their precious freedom and build a modern, free and democratic state, following the examples of the American and French revolutions.
The contribution of the Greeks of the diaspora in the battle of 1821 was decisive, as the significant centers of Hellenism in terms of the spiritual, political, financial and numerical were all outside of the lands that comprised the first Greek state. The Society of Friends (“Filiki Eteria”) was founded in Odessa and the battle for freedom started in Moldovlachia. Many Greeks abroad participated and sacrificed themselves for this battle, while the Greek communities in Vienna, Paris, Bucharest, Iasi, Budapest, Trieste, Venice and other areas contributed spiritually and materially to the revolution.
The role of the Greeks of the diaspora did not end with the attainment of our freedom. From the first moment, the forces of Greeks worldwide were by the side of the new Greek state. It is not unrelated that most of our nation’s greatest benefactors are from abroad, while the same holds true for many other people who played a pivotal role in the Greece’s public life. And today you worthy continuators of the Greeks of that era, I am certain that you will continue to stand by Greece, just like those us who live inside the borders of the Greek state, must stand by the side of Greeks worldwide.
This need is even greater today when our nation faces intense challenges in a fluid international environment. We must all act with determination, so that we may face the aggressive behavior of neighboring states, which, among others, use desperate people as a tool to undermine our national sovereignty, disregarding human suffering and international law. During such difficult times, we must at the same time preserve the value of Hellenism, like freedom, democracy, equality and human rights.
We will move forward based on these values, united and creative, so that we may secure a prosperous future that fits us all. A future which, inspired by a European vision, connects with a new patriotism, one that does not counter cosmopolitism, but is a prerequisite for it. This is the patriotism that Giorgos Seferis had in mind, when, speaking to the Greeks of Egypt, a historical section of Greeks abroad, of General Makrigianni, mentioned the “a moment when we look and ponder and try to discern the destiny of Hellenism through the veil and beyond the wide turn that the history of the world has made in our times” and he reminded them of the General’s words that “we have this homeland all together, wise and ignorant, and rich and poor, and politicians and soldiers, and even the smallest people.”
My dear compatriots,
The days we are living through bring with them the heavy load of the global spread of the pandemic of coronavirus, a tragic health crisis that requires calm and strict adherence to the measures set forth by those in charge. This year, we will not have any parades and events for our national holiday. Every Greek though, wherever they may be, it is certain will feel national pride and will celebrate this day, not en masse, but in their hearts and soul. This year, our national duty calls on us to show a spirit of collective conscience and individual responsibility. I wish and hope that this battle too, which is not just about Hellenism, but about all humanity, will soon, with the cooperation of the international scientific community, will be won. And that next year, we will celebrate the 200 years since the Revolution of 1821 in the brightest way.
