Greek Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis has become the first Greek leader in history to address the U.S. Congress, marking 201 years of Greek independence and cementing Greek-US ties during a time of global uncertainty.
Mitsotakis referred heavily to Ancient Greece and the inspiration such thinkers had given to the founding fathers of the US, and also how the fight for Greek independence from the Ottoman Empire was similar to Ukraine's struggle against Russia today.
He said:
"It is hard for us today to realize how radical the idea of individual freedom was 25 centuries ago when a small community of Greeks dared to entrust equal political and legal rights to all its citizens. Women and slaves were excluded, but it was still such an extraordinary departure from what had gone before that it remains the most profound leap of faith in human history. No society before the Greeks dared to believe that order and freedom were compatible. All societies before them were a succession of tyrannies that relied on a strong ruler, a king, a pharaoh, an emperor, to keep them functioning."
Adding:
"The lesson was not lost on the founders of the United States who shaped the American Constitution on the Athenian model but they were wise enough to insert checks and balances to avoid the excesses that eventually undermined Athenian democracy."
He continued:
"Exactly 200 years ago, in 1822, revolutionary Greeks assembled at Epidavros, debated and drew up our first Constitution. And with this document they introduced into the newly liberated Greek lands the new language of rights. Above all of the right of a nation to throw off the shackles of tyranny in order to live under the rule of law…. We look to Kyiv and to Odessa, the city where our revolution was first conceived, and we look to the tragedy unfolding in eastern Ukraine. We see Mariupol, a Greek city founded by Catherine the Great in 1778 to resettle Greeks from Crimea fleeing Ottoman rule. And what we see once again is a people who are faced with the necessity of fighting to defend themselves in order to secure their future."
The PM finished by confirming Greece's relationship with NATO and the US, an issue that has at times been contentious in the country, saying:
"Please also note: the last thing that NATO needs at a time when our focus is on helping Ukraine defeat Russia's aggression is another source of instability on NATO's Southeastern flank. And I ask you take this into account when you make defence procurement decisions concerning the Eastern Mediterranean. The United States has, I believe, vital interests in this part of the world. It is very important that you remain engaged and work with partners with whom you share not only common strategic priorities, but also shared values and a shared history."
[Based on reporting by: Greek reporter]
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