The President of the Republic took part in the festive events organized by the Municipality of Megistisa on the occasion of the 79th anniversary of the liberation of the island Katerina Sakellaropoulou.

Ms. Sakellaropoulou, after the eulogy at the Holy Church of Saints Constantine and Helena and the laying of a wreath at the Memorial to the Fallen, stated that “we are celebrating the 79th anniversary of the liberation Kastelorizu and we honor the struggle and sacrifice of our islanders. Who keep their national spirit indomitable and continue to defend this stronghold of Hellenism in spite of everything, brave and proud, like their ancestors.

“Greece, from the point of view of international law, seeks constructive relations with its neighbors. But he will effectively defend his national integrity and his sovereign rights if necessary,” added Ms Sakellaropoulou.

We celebrate the 79th anniversary of the liberation of our island of Kastelorizos in B’PP and honor the patriotism of our islanders. Our country respects good neighborly relations and international law, but remains steadfast in defending its national sovereignty. pic.twitter.com/XyXDnoHJzf

— GR President (@PresidencyGR) September 13, 2022

Then the President of the Republic visited the Laskos missile range.

Strict application of international law

“The place and theme of the symposium have a strong symbolic imprint on the times we are going through,” emphasized the President of the Republic, Katerina Sakellaropoulou, speaking at the 4th Symposium on International Law and International Policy for the Aegean and the Eastern Mediterranean.

The symposium was organized in Rhodes by the Hellenic Society for International Law and International Relations on the theme “40th Anniversary of the 1982 Montego Bay Convention on the Law of the Sea”. Ms. Sakellaropoulou considered it important that the discussion takes place in Rhodes, when in the same region, in the Dodecanese, Turkey’s doubts about sovereign rights, as well as sovereignty towards Greece, are growing.

“The issues discussed at the symposium, such as the delimitation and peaceful resolution of maritime disputes and jurisdiction over rescue operations in maritime areas, are key issues in Greek foreign policy and especially Greek-Turkish relations,” said the President of the Republic.

Ms. Sakellaropoulou added that dispute settlement based on international law is “a deep conviction that characterizes our foreign policy” and emphasized that at a time when international law is being questioned, as evidenced by the Russian invasion of Ukraine, “Greece insists on its inexorable application as a counterbalance to every revisionist and expansionist tendency”.