The Deputy Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, Vice Admiral Ioannis Drymousis, accompanied by Group Captain Miltiadis Militsis and the Military Attaché of the Greek Embassy in Canberra, Colonel Ioannis Fasianos, visited on Friday, May 13, Archbishop Makarios of Australia, at his headquarters in the Holy Archdiocese of Australia in Sydney.
The meeting lasted for about an hour and was followed by a lunch provided by the Archbishop in honor of the distinguished guests.
Vice Admiral, Ioannis Drymousis, conveyed to Archbishop Makarios the greetings and respect of the Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff, General Konstantinos Floros, and assured him that the entire military leadership stands by the Holy Archdiocese and the Archbishop for all the efforts made for the unity of Hellenism on the fifth continent.
“We are staying informed about your work and we congratulate you for what you have done here in Australia. We are with you in whatever you need. We are by your side and support the work of the Church, which is unifying and aims at the progress of Hellenism and the high ideas of our Nation,” the Deputy Chief of the Hellenic National Defence General Staff noted, among other things.
The Archbishop, for his part, wished for the strengthening of the Hellenic Army and stressed to his interlocutors that their visit is a special honor for the Holy Archdiocese of Australia. “We admire your struggles and your concerns,” he said, “and we are confident that our friendly homeland is not in danger, because it has people in the Hellenic Army who have faith and ideals. Thank you for coming to Australia. Your presence helps to ensure that the bridge that exists between Greece and Australia is not saturated, but is full of footsteps. There will always be people coming to Greece and others coming from Greece to Australia”.
Afterwards, the Archbishop received the coat of arms of the Hellenic Army from Mr. Drimousis, while he offered the eminent guests the silver coin minted by the Holy Archdiocese of Australia for the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution.
