The President of the Hellenic Republic Prokopios Pavlopoulos, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis, armed forces leadership and deputies of several parties attended Doxology for the New Year at the Athens Metropolitan Cathedral on Wednesday morning.
The liturgy was led by the Archbishop Ieronymos II of Athens and All Greece, who wished everyone well for the new year.
After church service, the President received representatives of political, military, religious and spiritual leadership at the Presidential Mansion.
Following, Pavlopoulos attended the cutting of the Vasilopita at the Presidential Guard Barracks, where he addressed the men of the Presidential Guard.
"You are not a member of the Armed Forces, but you chose the Presidential Guard to serve your term. After thanking you for the way you do your job, I want to assure you that this term here at the Presidential Guard, is a great burden, I know how hard it is to train and serve daily in the way you do it, but I want you to know, and you know better than me, that this is a great honour," the President of the Hellenic Republic stated at the beginning of his speech.
Pavlopoulos also took this time to send a strong message to neighbouring Turkey, stating that Greece "will defend our national issues and our national laws against anyone who threatens them," inviting them to instead live in peace.
