Greek president: Welcoming 2021 fortified by past year's experiences of community and heroism
This past year was a trying one for many people, affecting every aspect of our lives deeply and bringing the state to the edge of its limits, Greek President Katerina Sakellaropoulou said on Thursday in her New Year's message.
Reviewing the impact of the novel coronavirus pandemic, the president said Greeks could draw from the example of doctors and nurses who "provide a lesson in the practice of solidarity and caring of other people." This, she said, is "the duty of all of us, proportionately." The pandemic, she observed, "made us realize again how vulnerable we are and how dependent we are on one another - this is a valuable lesson going forward."
The New Year brings optimism with the delivery of the vaccination against the coronavirus, "but the path to normality will be neither short nor easy," she said. It requires collaboration and observation of health measures until the community reaches immunity, added the president.
The year also proved that Greece upgraded its role as a factor of stability in the region by calmly protecting its territorial integrity against Turkish challenges, activating key alliances and participating with other EU countries in drafting the future of Europe.
Noting that 2021 is the 200th anniversary since the start of the Greek Revolution for Independence, Sakellaropoulou called for reflection on what brought its success, including self-sacrifice and heroism by Greeks' ancestors. "Our greatest power lies in unity and collaboration," she underlined, "and 2021 will be a year of hope and recovery."
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