To EMAK, Mitsotakis: You fulfilled a double national mission, we are deeply indebted – See photos

The Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis visited its facilities this morning, shortly before leaving for Munich 1st Special Disaster Response Unit (SDR) in Elefsinawhere he met the members of the EMAK search and rescue teams who returned from the earthquake-stricken regions of Turkey.

EMAK executives informed the Prime Minister about the mission and shared with him the experiences they gained. Kyriakos Mitsotakis thanked the rescuers for their important contribution to saving human lives in Turkey, but also for the work they offer as a whole.

Addressing the members of the EMAK teams, the Prime Minister said:

“Mr. Minister, Mr. Deputy Minister, Mr. Chief, dear employees of EMAK, EKAV, I would really like to say a very big thank you from the bottom of my heart for this very important mission that you carry out over time.

And let me also say a big thank you for what you did in this last devastating earthquake in Turkey, where you were first, you attempted under conditions that for us mere mortals are almost unimaginable. I try to think what it must feel like for you to step into the rubble, with the threat of another earthquake always hanging over your head, to save people who without your presence are certain to perish.

And I believe that what you did at this juncture, not only had human value, but was also a very essential display of solidarity between our two peoples, in geopolitically difficult conditions.

It’s something I think you realize as well, but I believe you felt great satisfaction and emotion from the love you received. The love of ordinary Turks, who found themselves in front of a natural disaster and saw first arriving Greeks with the Greek flag, risking their own lives to save their fellow human beings.

And I think this is a very strong message of solidarity between the two peoples, which will accompany us for a long time to come.

So, you fulfilled a double national mission and for that I am personally – but I believe I am interpreting the feelings of all Greek women and all Greek men – deeply indebted to you.

And I believe that we feel, Mr. Minister and Mr. Chief, great security knowing that we now have a specialized staff, which can respond to the most extreme conditions and the most difficult natural disasters, with which we know from the facts that we will be face to face.

And it is our duty, the duty of the State, to support you in every way in your work. With the best possible equipment, with a central design that will continuously upgrade Civil Protection.

And through a process, of course, of educating our entire society about what it means to live with natural disasters anymore. As you know, we now have a separate operational program at the European level for civil protection, with important financial tools for the next period. But we now also play a leading role in the European Civil Protection Mechanism, as we should, because we have the know-how to be able to do this.

So, I want to once again say a very big thank you from the bottom of my heart and let us all remember the last words of Kazantzakis, that “we are only human when we really feel the pain of others”.

You felt the pain of others in very difficult times and you made us all extremely proud.

From the bottom of my heart again, a big thank you.”

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Christos Stylianidis, the Deputy Minister of Climate Crisis and Civil Protection Evangelos Tournas, the General Secretary of Civil Protection Vassilios Papageorgiou, the Chief of the Fire Brigade Georgios Pournaras, the President of EKAV Nikos Papaefstalogiou and Professor Geo of Natural Disaster Management of the University of Athens and President of OASP, Efthymios Lekkas.