by ATHENS BUREAU
The tricolours of the Armenian flag illuminated iconic buildings across Greece to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between Athens and Yerevan.
The fountain of Omonia Square were illuminated in the Armenian tricolours thanks to the initiative of the Armenian Embassy in collaboration with the Municipality of Athens.
Armenian Ambassador to Greece Tigran Mkrtchyan thanked Athens Mayor Kostas Bakoyannis and said that the “drone shooting is just beautiful.”
The Greek capital was not the only city to be coloured in the tricolours of the Armenian flag, in fact, the colours illuminated across Greece – from the very northern reaches of Alexandroupolis in Thrace to the southern Cretan city of Chania.
The Venetian lighthouse of Chania. Photo credit: @FRAGOS_NICK. The Townhall of Alexandroupolis. Photo credit: Tigran Mkrtchyan.
The Town Municipality buildings of Heraklion, Kavala and Serres were also lit with Armenia’s tricolours.
The national flag of Armenia, the Armenian Tricolour, consists of three horizontal bands of equal width, red on the top, blue in the middle, and orange (also described as “colour of apricot”) on the bottom.
The official definition of the colours, as stated in the Constitution of Armenia, is:
“The red emblematises the Armenian Highland, the Armenian people’s continued struggle for survival, maintenance of the Christian faith, Armenia’s independence and freedom.
“The blue emblematises the will of the people of Armenia to live beneath peaceful skies.
“The orange emblematises the creative talent and hard-working nature of the people of Armenia.”
Speaking on the occasion of the 30th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Greece on January 21, Ambassador Mkrtchyan told ARMENPRESS, among other things, that “the Greek and Armenian peoples are two brothers of related civilizations that can survive if they always work together.”
“Greece is one of the few countries, and the Greeks are one of the unique nations, with which our relations and friendship have a history of millennia,” the Ambassador said, adding that Greek and Armenian peoples are united by common values, principles, common threats and expectations and blood ties, things that are beyond commercial interests.
“Our brotherhood has gone through all the trials of time and history, becoming stronger. The Greek and Armenian peoples – the two brothers of the related civilization, which can stand firm when they work together,” said Mkrtchyan.
“Cultural diplomacy is a powerful tool for both Greeks and Armenians, although we think we know each other well enough, but there is always room to learn more, to interact more. The opportunities to get to know and love each other through culture are endless,” he said.
“High-level military relations are deepening, which is a good and important fact,” the ambassador added.
Ambassador Mkrtchyan thanked the politicians of Armenia, Greece and the representatives of the Greek-Armenian community, who during the 30 years made their undeniable contribution to the construction and establishment of the Armenian-Greek privileged relations.
Greece was one of the first countries to recognise Armenia’s independence from the Soviet Union on September 21, 1991.
Greece is also one of the few countries in the world that has criminalised the denial of the Armenian Genocide.
Since the declaration of independence in Armenia, the two countries have been partners within the framework of international organisations, such as the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and the Council of Europe.
Greece has also been one of Armenia’s most firm supporters of community programs aimed at further developing relations between the European Union and Armenia.
Greece is, after Russia, one of Armenia’s major military partners.
On August 31, 2021 Armenia, Greece, and Cyprus signed the Tripartite Defence Cooperation Program.
The Program sees all three militaries conduct joint training exercises, sharing of expertise and promoting military cooperation between the three countries.