“Nelson Mandela was the leader of the movement for the human rights of the citizens of South Africa but also the entire African continent,” Foreign Minister Nikos Dendias said in a videotaped message at an event organized by the Marianna Vardinogiannis Foundation.
“With his ethical principles and his struggle, he found himself at the helm of a universal, timeless struggle. The universal struggle for freedom, equality, dignity, democracy, and respect for human rights. He became not only a symbol of the oppressed peoples of Africa but also of all people fighting for their dignity. He was an emblematic leader in world history. A source of inspiration for the entire world, for all generations,” said Dendias.
Looking to the future, the foreign minister added, Mandela believed in a struggle that would allow not just prevailing but also a great victory. “The victory of reconciliation, and the functioning of multi-racial democracy in the post-apartheid era. He chose to turn his own life into a symbol of the struggle against apartheid but also of the greater struggle for reconciliation between people.”
Source: ANA-MPA