The President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos issued his last New Year's message to the nation on Tuesday as his term approaches its conclusion.
"The current situation demands that we build a realistic national strategy and serve it with vigour, consistency and unity," said Pavlopoulos, adding that it was up to the Greeks to make sure that 2020 was a milestone in which the country's national strategy would prosper, adding that he is certain that Greece will meet this great challenge.
"Our main weapon, with which we avoided a destructive rending of our social fabric, was the solidarity that is innate to us Greeks and which should guide us in the future, strengthening our determination to serve the great and important ideals," said the President.
"The future calls on us to be worthy of the occasion. Our national weapons, namely our unshakable vigour and our strong unity, allow us to do this," he added.
The past teaches us that our unparalleled national heritage requires us to move forward, in the sense that it is not enough for us to be regarded as descendants of great ancestors only. In addition, we must leave our own creative imprint on the course of our homeland's history. Towards this end, the deep economic and social crisis of the past years - the wounds of which have not fully healed - teaches us many things:
Greece, as a full member of the European Union for over 40 years, contributes, with all its might, to European integration.
Greece has proven to be so consistent with its European obligations that even its national issues, particularly those concerning its relations with Turkey, are defended solely on the basis of European law, and consequently on the basis of international law, Pavlopoulos said.