The 35th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece, after the collapse of the 7-year military dictatorship, was celebrated on Friday in a modest ceremony at the Presidential Mansion, hosted by President of the Republic Karolos Papoulias and attended by the country's political and military leadership and 1,200 guests, of which some 700 were resistance fighters during the junta years.
President Papoulias noted, in an address, that every such anniversary demands thought and vision for the future.
He said that the celebration of this specific anniversary was "a choice that proves deep respect for all those who struggled against the dictatorship", adding that lavish affairs and receptions were incompatible with the spirit of the struggle against the dictatorship, provoked the public sentiment and offended the measure that the political world had a duty to set out through its own deportment.
Referring to the resistance struggles, Papoulias said that the were the most powerful proof that "there is a light and magnificence in the Greek society", and "the struggles of the Greek people are the nucleus of an optimism that gives rise to creative forces, casts off defetism, and brings the aura of a better tomorrow".
Turning to the global financial crisis, the President noted that at a time when the prevalent economic model has been put in doubt, unfortunately no alternative proposal for a growth that will eliminate poverty and unemployment has been put forward in a compprehensive and efficient way.
One thing was sure, he continued, "that social cohesion in the developed world is at risk, and the insecurity among the many contains the threat of social outbursts and causes phobic syndromes".
The personal impasse of every unemployed person, the agony of every youth seeking work with no success, are the "raw materials" of inevitable social tensions, Papoulias warned.
He added that the crisis in the people's confidence in the political system was deep, not only because some representatives of the people use politicals as a springboard to a life of indulgence, nor because the long-standing pathogenies in public administration still exist. "The crisis is a deep one mainly because the code of values has eroded. All forms of facilitations and clientele attitudes have been morally legitimised, while success is frequently construed as exceptional ability, although it may have been achieved not by merit".
The President stressed the need to re-establish the rules, "what is right and what is wrong, what associates the individual with the collective interest and, finally, what kind of world we want to turn over to our children", and described those who fought against the dictatorship as an example of reference, because they gave so much without expecting anything in return.
Turning to the Cyprus issue, Papoulias said that Greece's steadfast goal was termination of the Turkish occupation and a solution to the problem founded on international law and the UN resolutions.
The European Union, he said, has a responsibility to contributing to the "therapy of this wound, which comprises one of the greatest shames of global civilisatoin".
"The key to a just and viable solution to the Cyprus issue is in Ankara's hands, but for the time being we see no desire on Turkey's part to overcome and transcend anachronistic percpetions and ethnicist rationale. Quite the contrary, we are following with worry the escatlation of the provocations in the Aegean and the constant projection of unilateral and historically-unfounded claims".
But Turkey is deluding itself if it believes that it can bend our determination to defend and safeguard our rights with threats and overflights over our islands, Papoulias warned.
Also attending the event, at Papoulias' invitationk were 20 pupils from a highschool in Galatsi who had sent a letter to the President outlining their concerns and worry on the environment.
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