The following are excerpts from the speeches of Foreign Minister Dimitris Droutsas and Prime Minister George Papandreou at the cutting of the Foreign Ministry’s New Year’s cake:
Foreign Minister Droutsas:
· “This past year was a difficult one with both challenges and successes for Greek foreign policy, which regained its pride and self-confidence thanks to your work.”
· “I would like to thank you for your work and our collaboration last year. You know that I truly believe in the abilities of every member of the Foreign Ministry’s staff, and I hope that I, in turn, have managed to show every day that I want you by my side, that I depend on you exclusively. And I want to say that what we can offer is for everything to be done with the necessary transparency and meritocracy.”
Prime Minister Papandreou:
· “It is a pleasure to be among friends, acquaintances and associates in the battle that we waged in previous years and that we are waging now for our country, for our image, for our credibility, and for the new dynamic that we want to impart to our international relations.”
· “This is a difficult time of sacrifices, hard work and pain for everyone – including you, of course. But without you, it would not be possible for us to regain our credibility. Already, our initiatives over this past year have, I believe, given Greece a much-improved and stronger image.”
· “Today, we again have before us even larger and more complex challenges that you are being called upon to play a decisive role in meeting.”
January 18, 2011