Greece Defense Minister Nikos Dendias sent a strong message to Ankara over international law during a speech on the island of Paros on Saturday.
Dendias represented Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis at ceremonies for the Assumption of the Virgin Mary held at the Holy Shrine of Panagia Ekatontapyliani.
Addressing the gathering, the defense minister stressed that international legal rules and the law of the sea were not an empty text, but reflected the choice of civilized humanity to regulate its affairs.
He said the Greek Armed Forces protected national independence and territorial integrity, allowing the country to demonstrate its unwavering commitment to global legal frameworks.
Dendias warned that current times were dystopian and challenging, with authoritarian views attempting to reverse the hard-won achievements and progress of humanity.
He emphasized that Greece's military stood directly against such attempts to ensure the nation's sovereignty, independence, and sovereign rights.
Defense values and holiday celebrations
The celebrations coincided with the Dormition of the Virgin Mary, who is honored as the supreme protector of the Greek Armed Forces.
Dendias stated that dedicating the military to the Virgin Mary reflected its core mission to protect society and promote peace, alongside fundamental Greek principles of freedom, dignity, and human rights.
The island of Paros, located in the central Aegean Sea, is home to the historic Panagia Ekatontapyliani church complex, one of the oldest surviving Christian shrines in Greece.
The annual feast of the Assumption on August 15 is both a major religious celebration and a national military holiday across the country.
Military modernization and defense reform
Outlining ongoing military reforms, Dendias said Greece was carrying out a monumental effort, built upon the sacrifices of the Greek people, to modernize its defensive capability.
He explained that the initiative aimed to transform the country's military into the most modern version Greece had ever known, adding that he sought the blessing of the Virgin Mary for the task.
In a statement posted on social media, the defense minister confirmed his attendance at the Festive Hierarchical Con-celebration at the Paros shrine.
He reiterated that the military remained steadfast in safeguarding national borders while upholding regional stability.
Relations between Athens and Ankara have frequently involved tensions regarding maritime jurisdiction, air space rights, and territorial sovereignty in the Aegean and Eastern Mediterranean.
Greek officials routinely cite the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea as the sole legitimate framework for resolving maritime disputes.
