Message from Ioannis Plotas, Ambassador of Greece to Nigeria on the Occasion of celebration the Greek Independence Day 1821-2021: Bicentennial Celebration of the Greek Revolution

With pride and honor the Greek Nation once again is poised to celebrate the Greek Independency Day on March 25th, 2021. This year has a particular significance since it coincides with the 200th anniversary as of the date the Greek revolution broke up against the Ottoman Empire.
The 25th of March, 1821, marked a new beginning in Hellenism’s historical course. It was a natural outcome of our nation’s strong will to regain its freedom and independence. Despite its coming at a point in history that the whole world saw as inconvenient, it succeeded because no one had realized that beyond the geopolitical aspirations of the “powers” of that time our Nation has an internal strength cultivated through thousands of years of struggles and sacrifices.
Decisive in this effort – just as it was then – is the substantial contribution of the activities and creative forces of the Greek diaspora which has proved that it maintains and strengthens the sense of national unity and always provides decisive and substantial support for every national endeavor.
The 200-year anniversary of the Greek Revolution can be regarded as an important occasion for further reflection and mindfulness, for a reassessment of the values that form national self-awareness and, essentially, for a new approach with our collective identity that can give Greece the opportunity for internal restructuring and for reintroducing itself to Europe and the rest of the world.
Let us all remind the«Sacred Band»militant group formed in 1821 by young volunteers from the communities of the Greek Diaspora, which substantially contributed to the noble cause of regaining our independence. Currently, in a  more complex and incessantly changing socioeconomic environment   we need a different kind of «Sacred Band», formed by those who were driven out of Greece due to the financial crisis and are now eager to come back- gifted with the expertise they have acquired-and prompt to contributing to the shaping of our future.
In today’s world Greece has been a political pioneer among European states andit has managed to repositioned itself to the international political landscape, by forging new and constructive Alliances, cultivating friendlyrelations with itsneighbors and by promoting the core values of democracy and rule of law.
With those values who inspired the noble struggle of the heroes of the Greek Revolution we have the obligation-under these precarious circumstances caused by the pandemic - to embark upon for new endeavors without neglecting our culture and traditions which have inspired and enlightened other civilizations.