Modern Greece is today the powerful European Balkan metropolis, a pillar of stability, a bridge connecting Europe. Greece is the European country in the Balkans. It avoided the historical trap of becoming the Balkan country in Europe. This emphasized, among other things, the Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias, who attended today, Friday 29 September, the events for the 82nd anniversary of the massacre by the Bulgarian occupying troops, in Drama, representing the government.

“Greece, aware of everyone’s past, has chosen to encourage cooperation and the European perspective of neighboring countries. It has chosen to be a model for the European integration of all the countries of the wider region” underlined.

Mr. Dendias attended the memorial service at the church of Ag. Nikolaou of Drama by the Most Reverend Metropolitan Dorotheos of Drama and then went to the Memorial of the Massacred where he laid a wreath.We are gathered here today”pointed out, “to remember and honor the memory of the victims of that tragic period. But more than that, to ensure that the memory of those lost will not be forgotten.”

The minister stated that “1,614 residents were executed in 50 settlements of the prefecture of Drama. 562 executions took place in the city alone. This was followed by the execution of 350 arenas in Doxato, 114 in Kyrgia, 135 in Choristi, while executions also took place in various other villages.

“The Drama Rebellion”he said, “It was the first mass popular uprising in Greece, but also one of the first on a European scale, mass movements against the axis. The massacre was the first manifestation of mass reprisals.” He made it clear that the Greeks “they have historical memory. We remember the behavior of conquerors towards us in the long course of Greek history. After all, the word “truth” means the denial of oblivion, the survival of the past in the present, as reality.” He did not fail to point out that Greece is working “to enhance peace, security, economic development in the region, demonstrates the determination of all to serve the national goal. In other words, stability and prosperity in the Balkans in the 21st century.”

“But the sacrifices of those who stood against the oppression in 1941”, fill in “they are a solemn reminder that the preservation of peace, freedom, justice, if I may say democracy, remains an ongoing endeavor for all the nations of our planet.”

“we owe”he continued, “to draw strength from the example and determination of those who in the past resisted tyranny. The living memory of their bravery is an invitation and a challenge to all fight for a Europe where the horrors of war and brutality against people will remain in the pages of historical memory and will not be a feature of the front pages of today’s newspapers”. “It is our responsibility to ensure that the struggles of our ancestors serve as an inspiration for a better and more humane world. A world where the lessons of history embedded in the genetic material will be a shield against their repetition” concluded Mr. Dendias