Greece marked the 203rd anniversary of the War of Independence /also known as the Greek Conspiracy/ with a spectacular military parade.
Thousands of Greeks gathered in Athens for the holiday. The parade started at exactly 11:00 on Vasilisis Amalias Boulevard and ended at Omonia Square.
Thousands of servicemen from each of the three branches of the Greek armed forces took part in the parade, as well as civilian and military bands. Greece's Independence Day coincides with the Feast of the Annunciation, widely celebrated by Greek Orthodox Christians.
Spectators lined the streets of central Athens to watch thousands of soldiers march, accompanied by an impressive array of military equipment. For many, the iconic Evzones are an anticipated highlight of the parade each year.
However, the Independence Day parade was not limited to the streets of Athens. Planes of the Greek armed forces flew over the capital to mark the event.
Among the notable aircraft that could be spotted were Rafale fighter jets, F-16 Fighting Falcons and Apache attack helicopters.
The day began with a special ceremony at Athens Cathedral, attended by Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou and Defense Minister Nikos Dendias, among other officials, the Greek Reporter reported.
Cannon volleys were also fired from Lycabettus Hill and fighter jets flew over the Acropolis to mark the event.
In Thessaloniki, many schools gathered in the city center for a big parade along the central boulevard.
The anniversary of Greece's historic declaration of war for independence on March 25 is "a celebration of all Greeks who will always create a sense of liberation, independence and justice," Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said.
"The Greek uprising against 400 years of Ottoman rule in 1821 commanded the admiration of the world. Passion and self-denial may be the key ingredients of any national effort, but the guarantee of its success lies in consensus, unity and agreement, as recorded in the Herculean struggle of heroic revolutionaries against an all-powerful empire,” she declared.
Sakellaropoulou noted that 2024 marks the 50th anniversary of the restoration of democracy in Greece after the military dictatorship, while saying that Athens does not forget Cyprus "as part of it remains under Turkish occupation".
"In a world of uncertainty, continuous crises, wars and disagreements, the challenge facing Greece today is to "defend, with the contribution of all of us, the ideals of freedom, human rights and democracy that we have secured through struggles and sacrifices in our long history, as we also did for our indisputable national sovereignty," the president said. /BGNES
