“We are proud of our history, traditions, and identity. But we are equally convinced that our future lies in a strong Europe”. This was underlined by the Vice President of the Government Kostis Hatzidakis, delivering in Munich the main honorary speech at the decoration ceremony of the Prime Minister of Bavaria Markus Söder by the Holy Metropolis of Germany, at the Greek Orthodox Holy Church of All Saints of Munich, with the participation of Metropolitan of Germany Augoustinos and Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Bavaria Christian Kopp.
At the same time, Mr. Hatzidakis recalled the historic statement of Konstantinos Karamanlis during the signing of Greece’s Treaty of Accession to the European Communities: “As of today, Greece definitively accepts the historic challenge and its European destiny, while preserving its national identity”.
And he added: “On this line we continue today, with Kyriakos Mitsotakis, for a stronger Europe. But also for a Europe that protects its values and provides answers to the needs of its citizens”.
Connecting the Greek experience with that of Bavaria, Mr. Hatzidakis stressed: “This is exactly what Europe needs today. It needs societies that know who they are, but are not afraid of the world. It needs a strong sense of belonging that does not exclude others. And it needs outward-looking openness that does not require us to forget where we come from”.
He made special reference to the importance of values in politics, noting that governments must deliver results in the economy, in security, and in the daily lives of citizens.
“However, governance cannot be limited to technocratic management. Because, ultimately, political decisions determine what kind of society we want to build. Democracy, freedom, human dignity, responsibility, and solidarity are not abstract concepts. They are the foundations of our societies”, he noted.
At the same time, the Vice President of the Government sent a message against the instrumentalization of religion and identity by political forces in Europe. “There are political forces throughout Europe that attempt to appropriate religious symbols, without applying their meaning in practice. They try to turn identity into a dividing line among citizens”, he said.
And he added: “We must defend our traditions, without turning them against others. We must defend our own identity, without denying the identity of our neighbor”.
The vice president of the government emphasized the ties of nearly two centuries between Greece and Bavaria, underlining that they remain alive through families, education, businesses, and political cooperation.
He acknowledged the disagreements that existed, especially during the Greek economic crisis, underlining that “friendship does not mean agreeing on everything. It means maintaining dialogue even when we disagree and continuing to cooperate”.
Referring specifically to the Prime Minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, Mr. Hatzidakis praised his contribution to strengthening Greek-Bavarian relations, supporting the Greek diaspora and Greek schools, as well as promoting interfaith dialogue.
The Prime Minister of Bavaria, Markus Söder, in his speech, thanked for the honor, noted the traditional relations between Greece and Bavaria, especially with the movement of philhellenism and neoclassicism, and underlined the progress of the Greek economy in recent years, under the government of Kyriakos Mitsotakis.
Before the decoration ceremony, Mr. Hatzidakis attended together with Mr. Söder the signing of two Memoranda of Cooperation between the National and Kapodistrian University of Athens and Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, as well as between the National Centre for Research and Technological Development (CERTH) and the Bavarian Research Alliance (BayFOR).