On Wednesday, the handover ceremony of Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis to Nikos Hardalias took place at the Ministry of National Defense. The Chief of General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, the General Secretary, Mr. Antonios Oikonomou, the Chief of General Staff, Lieutenant General Charalambos Lalousis, the Chief of General Staff, Rear Admiral Stylianos Petrakis PN and Deputy Chief of Staff (Deputy Chief) were present.
Below you will see the greeting of the Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Panagiotopoulos:
"Good morning everyone and have a good month. We, personally, have not been in a similar position for two years, but I guess this is the first time in everything and I really find it difficult to put thoughts and words in order to talk about two people I worked with or in the context of structure of the political leadership of the Ministry of National Defense and I am referring to Deputy Minister Alkiviadis Stefanis or in the context of the broader cooperation that we have developed very intensively with the Ministry of Civil Protection and of course I am referring to Nikos Hardalias.
The developments brought them so that today Mr. Hardalias assumes the position of Deputy Minister of National Defense in place of Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis. Active and with dramatic changes and developments, on an almost daily basis, political life has these and I would say these are the usual. The fact is that with Mr. Alkiviadis Stefanis for two years now we have developed an extremely close cooperation under difficult conditions as the political leadership of the Ministry, to meet the challenges that lie ahead. Challenges that we did not pursue but nevertheless, we were called to manage and we managed to a fairly satisfactory degree I believe.
At the same time we had to ensure the smooth administration of a large Ministry with almost universal participation even in social life and also to organize and implement the next day for the Armed Forces through a very intensive program of reforms and interventions mainly in the armament. In this, of course, we had the full support of the Military Leadership through the A / GEETHA of General Konstantinos Floros and the Chiefs of Staff and throughout the course there was the feeling and I think this was felt outwards in every direction, that the effort and the its result had to do with a team work.
In the process we did not agree on everything but we always finally agreed on what needed to be done. After all, the presentation of views in order to lead to the best solution but to be a creative and useful part of the whole process. What I personally would not like was to say yes to everything and move on, no we heard opinions, we composed opinions, we proceeded in the effort to have the best result and in this part the whole Alkiviadis Stefanis played a very catalytic, I would say crucial role.
From my experience with him I learned, an unquenchable passion for work, I experienced a constant mobility and also a love that is not hidden for the Armed Forces and the homeland and I would say that in this part I tried to coordinate with his pace. I think we did it. In life, as many qualifications as you have, as many possibilities, as many guarantees as you must in the effort to show the corresponding passion. If skills and talent are combined with passion then I think the result is ideal.
I would like to thank Alkiviadis Stefanis for what he offered to the Ministry to remind him that for two years now, he has been a member of the political system for two years and this cycle continues. Here we experience an attitude in this cycle but the cycle is evolving and I believe that it is anything but closed, evolving and continuing. However, this is not the case. Mr. Stefanis knows very well how he will weigh the next steps in a course that I characterize as, after all, his beloved expression is excellent. I really thank him on behalf of him and I think I would express the opinion not only of the entire Ministry of National Defense but also of the Armed Forces.
These two years were not easy, but those who have some experience in politics know that in politics things change, possibly change dramatically overnight, the duration and the evolution and the course are important. So I believe that the course of Alkiviadis Stefanis is not over, on the contrary, it is evolving. I wish him the best, it was my honor we served, you will allow me this expression, here together these years we did a lot of good work and on a personal level I can say that you have the ability to feel that you have another friend who needs everything any level even in counseling for the next episodes of the course will be near you. Good luck in everything, after all, I am sure that with the package, if you want the possibilities and abilities that you proved at least to me that you have, other successes will come. As for Mr. Nikos Hardalias, I will just say what, I will probably continue from where I stopped posting when he had the small adventure of his health, that I consider him a tough fighter, he proved it under conditions I would say unprecedented crisis management of difficult intensives and without prior history perhaps and therefore through the cooperation that we developed as a Ministry with the General Secretariat and later the Ministry of Civil Protection I am sure that it comes to a place where it can function as it worked, can offer as it offered and can join it. the team to have the best possible result.
The fighting spirit and ability of the fighter you know as I had the opportunity to say the day before yesterday in Sparta inspired by something I read is not only for the moment of battle, the fighter is for his whole life because he has been trained in the way of the fighter, in the way of the warrior and maybe the one who fights a life without getting into a military conflict I would say is more worthy than the one who is currently involved in a battle, because it is a matter of awareness and training, but you must also have it as we say in colloquial. Mr. Hardalias has it and because here I believe that we are a group of fighters fighting for a cause that everyone has embraced and we all serve, it will be another useful addition to this team.
Nikos Hardalia, welcome to the Ministry of National Defense and good job, good strength. "Mr. Deputy Minister, good strength, good continuity, the only sure thing is that there will be continuity".
Below you will see the greeting of the Chief of General Staff, Konstantinos Floros:
"On behalf of the Military leadership, on behalf of the Chiefs of General Staff, I personally, of course, but also of the entire army, the staff of the army, I would like to thank the outgoing Undersecretary Mr. Stefanis for the excellent cooperation, advice, directions and all that we did together as you said Mr. Minister and to thank him for everything and to personally wish him good luck in his course and to the new minister to Mr. Hardalias, also on behalf of the Military Hierarchy, the Chiefs of Staff to wish him Welcome, Good strength, ironhead and all the goodness of God in fulfilling the mission.
Thanks".
Below you will see the greeting of the Secretary General of the Ministry of National Defense, Mr. Antonios Oikonomou:
"My friend Alkis, my friend is an address in which I sincerely believe and I do not say it easily. 2013 was the first time we met, you as a Brigadier remember in the same position. Since then we have cooperated and developed this relationship between us that started from your great experience in the army, from my own touch then in military things, I could characterize it as ignorance and little by little this relationship and human kiss developed between us .
It continued even after 2015, when I left and you proceeded as you deserved, after your tenure in the 2015rd House of Thessaloniki, in my house, we continued this human relationship. We dreamed, we made plans, we traveled and God brought us, the fate of life in the same basement here that I had left in XNUMX and we continued our common path.
The Minister said very characteristically, attributed your experience to the great military and your great love for the army and for the homeland.
For me you were indeed an example in this matter I have not seen so much devotion to the homeland and to the military way of life. I always teased you between serious and funny, because your devotion to this military way of life is spartan and I hope, I am afraid, that you will continue it in the next life which has many chapters and many new chapters.
I wish you much better things, I think you are capable of whatever you decide to do. I will always be by your side as always and I only wish health for the rest we have everything because everything happens and everything comes and goes.
I'm sure you will decide the right thing. Everything will go well, a big thank you for your advice, I was always in this position or without it, I always asked about the military, I wanted your opinion, I hope you will continue to advise me and a big thank you for everything ".
Below you will see the greeting of the surrendered Deputy Minister of National Defense Alkiviadis Stefani:
"Thank you very much, good morning and good month.
I will start with two words, mission completed.
I believe this in my heart and it was done with passion, hard work with vision and love for the homeland.
The mission was carried out with a combination of views, I believe in unity and always with respect for the internal environment of the Armed Forces and what is this mission that was carried out during these two years.
I start with the biggest victory that I believe our country has achieved in recent years, which is what we have achieved in Evros. And we managed to change the data both inside the country and in Europe. We managed to make it understood throughout Europe that the problem we faced with our neighbors was not a Greek-Turkish problem but was generally a problem of Turkey's delinquency against the rules of international law. And then came the health crisis and again the involvement of the Armed Forces there was amazing. And then came the crisis in the Aegean and again there the deterrence presented by the Armed Forces was catalytic. And then came the climate crisis, and there it is.
I believe that a cycle is extremely successful and which cycle is successful because during these two years we presented and something else we presented a deep extroversion and a deep contribution of the Armed Forces to the Greek society in simple things, in everyday things so that the Greek citizens from from one end of Greece to the other they felt our presence.
Playground in the Diapontian Islands for the three children who are over there, a multipurpose space in Agios Efstratios, the construction of the road and its help in the Museum of the Republic, in Halki, in Tilos, in Symi, in Kastelorizo, ATM now last in Gavdos. In Kasos and how the student got to the school of informatics through the assistance of the Armed Forces. There is no place for the Armed Forces not to be present and of course to receive the love and recognition of Greek society. And in these times of crisis the leadership was both visible and available and we are everywhere helping the Greek society.
How did they achieve this, because all that we have achieved in these two years is not just to be done. The Minister described some ingredients and I hear him always say and I recognize and I embrace that only with teamwork this is done and it really was done, with teamwork, with hard work, with work as I usually say 20 hours a day with 24 hours being for thought and analysis. With an amazing staff, with an excellent leadership, both of our Ministry and of the Armed Forces and of course something we have been saying for a very long time in the Ministry with excellent inter-ministerial cooperation.
There is no Ministry with which we have not cooperated in order to achieve some goals, receiving from the other Ministries, love, respect for our work and we reciprocating the same.
Whom I wanted to thank from the bottom of my heart. First of all, His Excellency the President of the Hellenic Republic, who from the first moment of assuming her duties as the Commander of the Armed Forces embraced the Armed Forces and me personally with great respect. He chose the Prime Minister for his election as Deputy Minister of National Defense, he made three reshuffles and I was here. I believe that the cycle has ended successfully as I said and the change should take place and I completely agree with that.
The President of the Parliament who together with the Parliament did not stop supporting us with money and material goods but also with his presence. The Ministers and the Undersecretaries for the excellent cooperation we had and one of them is of course my dear friend Mr. Nikos Hardalias. The Presidents of the two Parliamentary Committees, Mr. Gioulekas and Mr. Davakis, and the members of the Committees, because every time we went to the Committees with the Minister, they all supported the work of the Armed Forces beyond any partisan confrontation.
The Minister for whom I would like to open a parenthesis and say that we should be and feel very lucky to have you will allow me to express this man as Minister of National Defense. He respects the Armed Forces, he loves the Armed Forces, he honors each of you individually and always in his mind his thought was how to help. How he will help many times and at his own political cost, something we have not often seen in the years we have been in the Armed Forces. The Prime Minister used the word friend. That's how I feel. I feel it with a lot of love. I would also like to thank Mr. Valaris very much. His presence in the events of the Ministry is a catalyst. He is a man who loves the Minister and supports him and always does what he does based on his love for the homeland because he comes from the ranks of the Armed Forces. I would like to thank him for his friendship and the help he has given me.
The Secretary General who is really a friend as he said with whom our relationship has taken to other levels and I thank him for his support.
I come to the Military Leadership, Mr. Chief of General Staff, with whom, because we all know each other, we had tough confrontations and that is logical, and it should be so. Alas if two people who love the Armed Forces do not have an opinion and do not express it. And we have all known each other for years. We had an opinion, we had a controversy but always based on the good of the homeland we found the common solution. I respect his work, I appreciate him immensely and the solidity with which he manages the Armed Forces we have only seen good in this period.
The main Leaders whom I can not single out even though the 41 years inside me in the Army makes me want to join the Army.
I respect and bow with respect to the dead and the flags of all Three Branches and thank them from the bottom of my heart for what they do. Before I go to my Directors I would like to thank the Press. You always stand by our side and present our action in the right way and please convey my warm thanks to all those who are not present today.
My two Directors and my office. During these two years he moved with unlimited passion and love for his work. The personnel of the Armed Forces Military and political to whom I pay my respect for the work it produces. The Greek society and its people, the thousands of messages it received yesterday, of love and devotion to some of them, tell me that the Aegean islands have lost their protector. Of course they did not lose their protector, the Armed Forces is the protector of the Aegean islands and the Armed Forces will continue to be its protector of the Aegean and I certainly continue to love my homeland with the same strength.
I was moved last night by the Mayor of Symi who called me to tell me that September 18 is the ceremony to make you an honorary citizen and of course now we are waiting for you with even greater joy.
I would like to give two messages to all of us: Let us not forget where we started, this is very important where we started determines our course. And secondly, let us not forget that we must always be ashamed. To be ashamed of our collaborators, to be ashamed of the staff with whom we communicate, and above all to be ashamed of the Greek people, whom we serve and to always try to do the best for them.
We serve the Greek people and I must do it in the best possible way. I would like from the bottom of my heart to wish the Undersecretary Mr. Hardalias strength, health. Passion has it, it has its potential and very soon I am sure that it will become a member of the Armed Forces because it has all these characteristics. He is an active man, a capable man, a man who loves his homeland, a man who I can say that I go out a lot during working hours, a man whom I consider my friend, may God have him well.
In closing, I hold the most important victories of this period, of this cycle, the victory in Evros, the same was described by the Prime Minister in the interview he gave in the two years. This is very important. It changed the attitude of the society and we gave optimism to the Greek society.
As a second, I hold our contribution to the daily life of Greek society. And thirdly, the huge many projects that with the guidance of the Minister we have done during this period and of course all those that are organized because continuously. Mission accomplished I am exceptional and I continue to have a vision of will and of course endless love for the homeland.
I deliberately left my family out of it. My family has nothing to do with knowing my love and devotion to them. Good strength to the Deputy Minister, may you all be well and good morning ".
Below you will see the greeting of the receiving Deputy Minister of National Defense Mr. Nikos Hardalia:
"You know, Mr. Minister, in my life I have always chosen to be very honest. So the first thing I want to admit is that I stand here today with more embarrassment, but also a special sense of responsibility and duty in this acceptance ceremony of my new duties.
The second thing I want to say is that the feeling of responsibility to succeed a man whose own legacy of devotion and duty is special remains extremely unique and I do not say it conventionally precisely because I am in this ceremony here. I have had the opportunity to work with the Undersecretary under difficult circumstances under extremely difficult circumstances and circumstances and I think I look forward to his advice and his contribution and his experience and his guidance so that this closed circle can continue on terms worthy of a unique effort.
Mr. Undersecretary, I would like to thank you for this cooperation. I know that the scope of these initiatives of the concerns of the anxieties that we shared together with the Minister and our Leaders under difficult conditions has not reached the public, you mentioned a lot about the pandemic and about the operation "Freedom" and about the climatic conditions that seem unprecedented for the Greek society and homeland and for the whole world. I do not want to say anything more I want, Mr. Minister, Mr. Deputy Minister, Mr. General, Mr. Chief, Mr. Leaders I want to assure you with all the strength of my soul and heart that I will work hard at your side , to appear worthy primarily of the confidence of the Prime Minister but also the responsibilities of the position I assume.
Friend Alki, my Deputy Minister, good luck, good strength and I want to assure you that I will give my best to look worthy of the portfolio you are handing me ".
photo wirestock, Image license by freepik.com
