The Plenary passed the draft law of the Ministry of National Defense that paves the way for the creation of the Naval Heritage Park under the name “Odysseus – The Greeks and the sea”, on a twenty-four-acre site in Floisvos Palaio Faliro, with a private donation of the amount 35 million euros. The ND and PASOK-Movement for Change said “yes” to the principle of the draft law. SYRIZA abstained from voting. The KKE, Hellenic Solution and MeRA25 opposed the bill.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense Nikos Hardalias said that the Naval Tradition Park is a “breathing” project and will be an “adornment” for the entire area of ​​Old Faliro. At the same time, as he noted, it will “revitalize the timeless relationship of Greeks with the sea and the Greek maritime tradition”. In particular, he mentioned that the Greek navy is an aspect of national identity. “It is well known that Greek shipowners control more than 17% of the world’s fleet, making Greece, our country, the leader of the global shipping industry”, said Nikos Hardalias and added: “Even more important is the importance of the sea, under in the light of protecting our sovereignty and sovereign rights. We live in the land of about 6,000 micro-islands. These floating fortresses and aircraft carriers extend our national sovereignty by hundreds of kilometers, far from our mainland country and they are certainly all of the flesh of Greece”.

Mr. Hardalias, who stated that the Naval Heritage Park “is part of the wider framework of strengthening the maritime power of the homeland”, explained that the project is primarily aimed at preserving the Greek maritime history and highlighting the maritime tradition of Greece.

In particular, regarding the Naval Tradition Park, the Deputy Minister of National Defense said that “young men and women will learn how, through ships, Hellenism spread throughout the Mediterranean. They will understand the way that through the sea, pioneer explorers of antiquity reached and crossed the boundaries of the known World at that time. They will be taught how the Greeks defended their national independence at sea, during the Persian wars, during the uprising of 1821, during the epic of ’40. They will hear about the wet fire, they will realize how, through the successes at sea, the nation was kept alive, in the midst of four centuries of Turkish rule. They will reinforce the importance of the Navy.”

Nikos Hardalias expressed the belief that some of the young people who will visit the Park will be inspired to follow, perhaps a career, in the Merchant Navy or the Navy, and will join the great naval family. “But all visitors will see the maritime tradition and the importance of seamanship and expand their historical knowledge,” he said, wondering if there is a better way for a visitor to learn about the history of submarines than by visiting a submarine that will it is a complementary part of the overall donation of the Park and will function there as a Museum.

In relation to the importance of the Park for the economy, the Deputy Minister of National Defense said that jobs will be created, it will bring added value to the local municipality while, in combination with the Faliriko Ormos regeneration projects, it will further upgrade the area. Also, the Park will have a venue for multiple events and exhibitions, with a flexible conference hall with a capacity of 400 people, with rooms for educational programs, with modern equipment, with entertainment shops, restaurants, with refreshments, with parking areas.

“The benefit of the Greek State is also great, since it is granted full exploitation of the Park, after the completion of its construction, which is expected in 2025”, said Mr. Hardalias and added that “the State’s property will increase, with the acceptance of donations, amounting to 35 million euros, which corresponds to the cost of the project”.

The Deputy Minister of National Defense also referred to the donor Aris Theodoridis, president of “Kyklops”, who will undertake the cost of implementing the project and will then pay it to the Greek State. “Mr. Theodoridis is a eupatridis who continues to be a worthy continuation of the tradition of contribution to national competitions and to society as a whole, from the shipbuilding community. We thank him warmly and look forward to future cooperation with him, always with the sole aim of the good of the country”, said the Deputy Minister of National Defence.

It is noted that both the battleship “Averof” and the destroyer “Velos” will remain in place.

The parties

“The Park will be an integrated multi-dimensional living educational space, a space for the preservation and promotion of maritime tangible and intangible heritage, where the national maritime feeling will be strengthened and the maritime tradition of the Greeks from ancient times to the present will be promoted”, said the rapporteur of the ND Dionysis Hatzidakis and added: “A space is being created, which protects the Greek navy, where for the first time the Merchant Navy and the Navy live together in a specific building and acquire a common roof and it is not going to be just one Maritime Museum, the country’s twenty-third”. The ND rapporteur reserved a special mention for the donor Aris Theodoridis. “A project that has been discussed for twenty years is now on its way. A Greek eupatridis, who worked all his life quietly, without publicity, allocated 35 million euros for this purpose, the creation of the Naval Heritage Park and donates it to the Greek State and the Armed Forces. I remind you that at his own expense the house of Pavlos Melas was restored so that the Greeks would remember who fought for the liberation of our Macedonia. I want to thank from the bottom of my heart the donor from Faliriot, Mr. Aris Theodoridis,” said Mr. Hatzidakis.

This bill was prepared for two years without the knowledge of the Parliament and those who should have expressed an opinion, pointed out the rapporteur of SYRIZA-PS Theodoris Dritsas. “Nobody found out, not the Parliament, not the parties, not the local community, not the Naval Museum of Greece, not the MPs, nobody. And a package arrived – because it is a signed contract – without any possibility of change, addition, improvement, or treatment. It is a closed text, which either had to be accepted or rejected”, said the SYRIZA rapporteur and pointed out that the Athens Regulatory Planning Organization, the TEE, the National Technical University of Athens were also excluded from the preliminary work. Mr. Dritsas proposed a “Maritime Museum of Greece with a large annex of international museum standards in Faliro, with a gathering of as many fixed and floating exhibits – as possible – under the absolute control of the two competent state bodies, the General Staff of the Navy and the Ministry Culture. A museum continuation of the Naval Museum of Greece, Zea”.

“Our party and I personally, as a deputy of the Southern Sector, support the creation of a Marine Delivery Park, as well as the ratification of the relevant donation agreement between the company “KYKLOPS Urban Non-Profit Company” and the Greek State”, said the special buyer of PASOK-Movement for Change Tonia Antoniou and noted that it is the “perseverance and tireless effort of some people, especially the rapporteur of the bill and former mayor of Palaios Faliros colleague Dionysis Hatzidakis and obviously the generous donation of Mr. Theodoridis to his homeland through “AMKE CYCLOPS ” which enable this legislative initiative”. At the same time, however, Tonia Antoniou emphasized that the Naval Heritage Park is a crucial part of the so-called “Athenian Riviera” that extends to Piraeus and Sounio, and for the PASOK faction, interventions along this entire coastal front are extremely important Attica to have complementary or at least mutually compatible uses with supra-local characteristics that ensure the continuity of the seafront.

“The people of Attica are living the consequences of the concessions of almost the entire front from Piraeus to Sounio to the business groups. The free access of the people is abolished. The uses change and adapt to the needs of the investors or the “benefactors”, said the special buyer of the KKE Christos Katsotis. The KKE member of parliament said that a typical example of this policy is the investment in Elliniko with the possibility of interventions on the hitherto free beach of Poseidonos Avenue and Agios Kosmas, and with restriction of free access. “Yesterday they raised bars to prevent the athletes and the people who play sports from entering. We welcome the dynamic presence in the protest rally of the residents of the area called by the organizations of the KKE of the Southern Sector”, said Mr. Katsotis who informed the Parliament that his party submitted an amendment, to ensure the uninterrupted continuation of the sports activity of all clubs by maintaining and supporting the operation of the National Youth Sports Center of Agios Kosmas.

“They will not reach 35 million. They won’t arrive. And because this is how the law is structured and made, the Greek State will be forced to do everything it needs from here on out. That is, if it takes 50 million? According to many, this will be the cost of this complex that will be built. You have sent us the models etc. Very nice models. What happens now?”, warned the specialist buyer of Hellenic Solution Antonis Mylonakis. The MP pointed out that there is not even a sustainability study, while he referred to the construction that will be done for the Naval Delivery Park. “The heights we give there, 24 meters, are not correct. They shouldn’t be done. They are not legal. This is how we make them. I mean, what are we going to do? Twelve and a half thousand square buildings, with underground garages, etc. on the sea, which will cost more, much more than the money that has already been approved”, said Antonis Mylonakis.

The special buyer of MeRA25, Kleon Grigoriadis, mentioned the conditions for the implementation of benefactor projects. “How is Mr. Latsis currently benefiting Greece? What is he doing; It throws our athletes. How does it do this? Look to see. He throws the athletes out of his shop. Mr. Latsis’ shop is of course Elliniko”, observed Kleon Grigoriadis and added: “There is a problem with “Kyklops SA”. Its charter says that it is based in Drama today, but from tomorrow where it belongs, so it is possible that the day after tomorrow it will be based in the Stavros Niarchos Foundation, which is across the street from where the shipowner is donating, i.e. the plot, or in the properties of Mr. Prokopi who has taken the entire seaside coast”.

The president of Hellenic Solution Kyriakos Velopoulos also mentioned the bill. “You say the shipowners don’t command. Tell me a shipowner to whom you said “no”, once, as a government”, said Kyriakos Velopoulos and asked the government to stop thinking that it can deceive the Greek people and the Parliament. “You’re talking about the beach front. Which front are you talking about, you tell me. Which front of the monstrosity called Niarchos? The square building that unsightly thing that reminds me of seven-year-old times? Couldn’t they create an ancient Greek aesthetic with columns? You also have a Minister of Development with an ancestral stroke. Adonis Georgiadis is an antiquarian. He does not see the aesthetics of the building. Or that we erect buildings in front of the beach? We will become like Southern Spain which the Spaniards today curse because of what happened to Southern Spain, with the buildings on its southern front. The beaches are for the Greek people, for the citizens, they are also for the shipowners to go and have a swim, but they have their boats and go elsewhere, they go to Mykonos”, said the president of the Hellenic Solution.