The events to celebrate the national anniversary on October 28 in Kalpaki, Ioannina were attended by Kyriakos Mitsotakis.

The Prime Minister attended the memorial service, laid a wreath at the Warriors’ Memorial and lit a candle in memory of 167 fallen soldiers, whose remains are kept in the crypt of the Memorial. After that, Kyriakos Mitsotakis watched a reenactment of the Battle of Kalpakios.

“I am sincerely touched to be with you today in this place washed by History, in the footsteps of King Pyrrhus on his way to Rome, but also against the peaks that 82 years ago said no to fascism and foreign invaders. written in blood and triumph,” Mr. Mitsotakis said in his first words in a short greeting.

“Here the forces of liberty won their first victory against the Axis. Thus, Kalpaki is a symbol that transcends borders and times, radiating from Greece global values ​​that are not sharpened in the past, but, on the contrary, are constantly updated over time,” continued Mr. Mitsotakis.

He added: “Mr. Mayor, we are all very happy that Kalpakia is returning this year after the pandemic-related restrictions. We will honor the soldiers of the 8th Division, who in October 1940 fought – in these mountains – the first battles, holding back and repulsing the persistent attacks of Mussolini’s army, but at the same time representing a unique example of military prowess and readiness, unshakable patriotism and faith in freedom. But above all, a model of national unity and collective action. Because, perhaps, the cunning and manipulation of General Katsimitros, who even insisted that the first resistance be shown here, eventually brought victory, but all the previous months the Epirotes took care of fortifying this area under the leadership of Colonel Mavroyannis. Others, much more experienced than I, undoubtedly spoke much more extensively about the martial miracle recorded in these very lands. I have personally chosen to isolate the driving force that is also the source of every miracle of Hellenism. Love, that is, for our national independence, which unites the people and the armed forces, but also unites the citizens among us. Because it is a condition of our common prosperity. Before it, every other difference shrinks. And when threatened, Greek men and women unite and prosper. This is exactly what happened here 82 years ago.”

The Prime Minister stressed that it is no coincidence that in these places, since the troubled decades of the 20s and 30s, disciplinary ulema of armed criminal and political prisoners, a sign of division and authoritarianism of that time.

“And yet the wind of patriotic unity in the 1940s carried away divisions and mistakes, bringing all Greeks shoulder to shoulder in the trenches against the Italians, then in the epic of national resistance, only to be divided again by civil war. Thus, among others, Kalpaki stands out as a place where victorious national reconciliation takes place in practice. This “NO”, which is engraved on the slope of the prophet Elijah, comes from afar and goes far, accompanying our History,” he stressed.

And he added: “Thus, today we are talking about another invader, Russia, which violates international law, the inviolability of borders and the independence of Ukraine. Thus, he ignites a double fire in Europe, causing blood on the fronts with weapons and creating instability in Western societies with precise leverage. But also something else, projecting an authoritarian act as a model for other disorders to emulate, perhaps here in our area. That is why Ukraine worries us and why there is fighting on its plains like the one in 1940 in the Ioannina mountains and why our national position is “NO” against any proposal. Especially when it comes to countries that the more they raise their rhetoric, the more they sink into their own isolation. However, as I have already said, these three letters only respond to those who threaten and do not provoke, but invite them to the path of legality, the path of peace. That is why the other side of the Greek “NO” is “YES” to stability and cooperation.”

Mr. Mitsotakis sent a clear message to Ankara. “No lies, no one anywhere believes that Turkey is in danger from the Greek islands. On the contrary, that she is plotting the sovereignty of Greece, unfortunately, is constantly preached by herself. Therefore, on our part, our position is firm: we oppose aggression to preparedness. Our arguments are based on international law and the law of the sea. And, of course, our defensive vigilance and the diplomatic protection offered by our strong alliances. All this, in fact, with the composure of someone who is right on their side. With the self-confidence of a patriot and, above all, acting openly in the light of truth and the day. Because those who shout that they move only in the dark often get lost in it, ”he said.

And in conclusion, he stressed: “And do not forget that here in Kalpaki, in the middle of the night and before dawn, the Italians came to get an answer, as they should, first from the Epirotes and Greeks, and then from History itself. “Not a clue, nothing at all about retreat. We will all fight for our positions and, if necessary, fall in defense of them, ”was the last order of Katsimitro. And here’s how it happened. The Greeks did not retreat, but advanced, as the tradition of this place requires, and this is the duty of our generation to the generation that fought in the 1940s, as well as the generation of my father, Konstantinos Mitsotakis. To this generation, which gave us a free and prosperous Greece to honor and remember, to that fallen lieutenant, for whom the heroic and mournful Song will always mourn with the proud voice of Elytis, “the mountains of Albania thundered, they did not weep, why should they weep? He was a brave child.” But I am here, Mr. Mayor, because, as you said, we must all fight to ensure that Kalpaki remains not just a memory, but an eternal and effective memory. And that is why we must immediately see, start these actions to create a Historical Park, but mainly, as you said, erect a cenotaph here, at the foot of the Monument to the Fighter, where there are almost 14,000 names of Greek soldiers who fell in the war of 40-41. This is the debt of the present to the past, which is also the backbone of our future. From there, I will respond with just one word to complete my greeting. A simple word, but in which the individual and collective definition of the moment thickens, the quintessence of freedom, but ultimately the prospect of the country’s progress. The slogan that resonated, resonates and will always resonate in these mountains: “Air”. To call on us to walk together and with self-confidence, with faith in a heroic yesterday, with a plan and an appetite for work today, with optimism and hope for tomorrow, with confidence, with continuity, with consistency. Thanks a lot”.