At today’s unveiling ceremony of the new bioclimatic facade of the central building of the Ministry of National Defense, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis was received as a “host” by Defense Minister Nikos Dendias. Both Mr. Mitsotakis and Mr. Dendias thanked President and CEO of METLEN Energy and Metals, Evangelos Mytilineos, who was the donor of this significant project. In his speech, Mr. Mytilineos emphasized that “METLEN did not make a sponsorship. It responded to an obvious patriotic duty and warmly thanks for the great honor of being given the opportunity to honor the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff and the General Staffs of the Army, Navy and Air Force.”
Nikos Dendias: Gratitude to Mr. Evangelos Mytilineos
For his part, Mr. Dendias emphasized that “I want to express my gratitude to Mr. Evangelos Mytilineos. His sense of National Duty gave flesh and bones to the first phase of this emblematic project. Thus, ‘Agenda 2030’ acquired a monumental and artistic representation. The Armed Forces – also I think for the first time in their History – acquired the ability to express themselves through Works of Art.”
Mitsotakis: Dear Vangelis, as honorary brigadier general, you can be proud
While Prime Minister Mitsotakis, referring to the donors of the Ministry of National Defense, noted that “they too honor a long tradition that must be maintained, must be strengthened further, as the contribution of strong Greeks to the homeland was often combined with national successes. I don’t know what the course of the Balkan Wars would have been without the battleship ‘Averof’.” Referring specifically to Mr. Mytilineos, he said: “Dear Vangelis, as honorary brigadier general, you can be proud, as can many others: Heraklis Prokopakis, the Laskaridis and Martinou Foundations, Piraeus Bank, GEK TERNA, EFA Group, HELLENiQ ENERGY, all those who support this great effort to modernize the Armed Forces with their generous donations.”
Evangelos Mytilineos: An image that reflects the prestige of our country and its Armed Forces
Mr. Mytilineos also took the podium and said “as Kostas Varotsos said in a recent interview, whom I immediately congratulate and thank from the heart for his artistic signature and endless hours of work to complete the project, as friend Kostas said, ‘By changing the facade of the Ministry of National Defense building, I did not write the word ‘War’ but the word ‘Peace’.’ I co-sign this. However, allow me to add that, as History teaches us, ‘if you want Peace, prepare for War,’ a phrase known in Latin as ‘Si vis pacem, para bellum’.”
Analyzing the project, he emphasized that “the new bioclimatic facade of the building where the command center operates, that is, the mind of the Armed Forces, faces the ‘Ark of National Memory’ and bows to the 121,692 (one hundred twenty-one thousand six hundred ninety-two) names of the fallen in the nation’s struggles. Here therefore lies not only the command mind but also the historical soul of the Armed Forces and from here it radiates throughout the territory, along the entire border line, on land, sea and air. And I am proud because this command center was completely dressed by Greek hands, led by Kostas Varotsos, Greek aluminum produced from Greek Bauxite, processed by Greek Aluminum factories that are the best in Europe and built by the best Greek hands.
Mr. Mytilineos continued saying that “by strengthening the Armed Forces, the infrastructure, weapon systems and mainly human resources, we strengthen our national power and sovereignty, we acquire deterrent power, we protect our national space, we ensure Peace and stability in our region. This is the first prerequisite, along with the functioning of democracy and social cohesion and inclusion for the country’s progress and the prosperity of Greeks in a fluid, uncertain and dangerous world that has lost much of what we considered obvious and given. Yes, Greece is a member state of the European Union and NATO. Yes, Greece belongs to the West. Yes, we honor our alliances and strategic partnerships. But national defense and security rely primarily on our own forces. And when I say forces I mean of course the Armed Forces but also all the creative forces of the country, the strong and vibrant civil society, the strong, productive and internationally competitive economy and of course the strong institutions of the state. METLEN did not make a sponsorship. It responded to an obvious patriotic duty and warmly thanks for the great honor of being given the opportunity to honor the Ministry of National Defense, the General Staff and the General Staffs of the Army, Navy and Air Force. And moreover in a tangible, practical but also deeply symbolic way. With an intervention of high aesthetic value and great functional upgrade to this historic and emblematic building. The new bioclimatic facade as part of the overall intervention in this space, signals what is being accomplished with a dense sequence of initiatives, the entry of the Greek Armed Forces into the era of new technology that radically changes the technology of War and therefore the technology of deterrence for maintaining Peace through effective protection of national sovereignty and our sovereign rights,” he said and concluded: “I wish, ladies and gentlemen, that those who work here feel proud daily of the beauty in their space. Those who visit the Ministry feel the power of this space and what it expresses. And those who pass by outside see an image that reflects the prestige of our country and its Armed Forces.”
