A special ceremony was held today as part of the official visit of the French President, Emmanuel Macron, to Greece. The central figure of the event was the Minister of Rural Development and Food, Margaritis Schinas, who was honoured on behalf of the French Republic by Benjamin Haddad, Deputy Minister for Europe and Foreign Affairs, responsible for European Affairs, of the French Republic. Maria Gavouneli, President of the National Human Rights Commission, was also honoured at the same ceremony.
During his speech, the French Minister reviewed Mr Schinas’ political career and his relationship with France. He concluded his speech by describing Mr Schinas as a “great Greek European and a true friend of France”.
For his part, Margaritis Schinas spoke warmly about his personal relationship with French culture, which began in his childhood. He referred to his time learning French as a child in Thessaloniki, stressing how this bond was decisively strengthened during his years of service to the European Union.
He stressed that both as a representative and later as vice-president of the Commission, France always stood by him and supported him on the major issues of his mandate. He made particular reference to the support he received in the management of the Greek crisis, the fight against fake news, the migration crisis and the pandemic, as well as the Grand Bargain on the Pact on Immigration and Asylum.
In closing his speech, Schinas noted that, beyond his own personal bond, the event primarily honors the deep relationship between France and Greece. He described this partnership as the “centre of gravity” and the “anchor of reason” that Europe increasingly needs to stabilise an unstable and insecure world.
Highlighting the timelessness of this Greek-French relationship, he said that through the centuries “Plato and Montesquieu and Aristotle and Voltaire have coexisted”, reminding everyone of the close connection between the country that gave birth to democracy and the country that gave birth to enlightenment.
