At the official opening ceremony of the Year of History between Greece and Russia, which will take place on 2 July in Old Parliament, the official spokeswoman of the Russian Foreign Ministry was quoted as saying, Maria Zakharova, which described as «highly symbolic that The Year of History is dedicated to the great anniversary, celebrated this year, the 200th anniversary of the beginning of the Greek Revolution.».
«It is safe to say that this is our common celebration», M. Zakharova said in the weekly briefing of the Russian and foreign press, adding that «Russia, without exaggeration, contributed decisively to Greece gaining its freedom, contributed to the consolidation of its statehood».
«A very important role in the success of the Race was played by the victory of the allied fleet of Russia, England and France over the Turkish-Egyptian fleet at the Battle of Navarino on 20 October 1827. Already in September 1828 the Russian Empire established diplomatic relations with the reborn Greek state, which was the first international recognition of its independence. At last, the provision for the Ottoman government to grant Greece the status of autonomy was first recorded in the Treaty of Peace of Adrianople in 1829 as a result of the victory of the Russian arms in the Russo-Turkish war of 1828-1829,» the Russian spokeswoman said, noting that a large number of the 140 events in the Year of History, the programme of which is already being implemented, are dedicated to the national liberation struggle of the Greek people and the role of Russia in the liberation of Greece.
«The time-tested traditions of friendship and mutual assistance, respect and sincere sympathy are the firm foundation of Greek-Russian cooperation, even in the present era. The purpose of the Year is to underline the special character of the spiritual and cultural ties that link our peoples, to preserve the memory of the glorious common pages of the past and to pass on this important heritage to future generations», M.Zaharova recalled that the Year is organized on the initiative of the Prime Minister of Greece and the President of Russia, while the relevant agreement was reached during the talks between Foreign Ministers Nikos Dendias and Sergei Lavrov in Moscow on 6 November 2019, while the relevant joint memorandum was signed at the meeting of the two ministers in Athens on 26 October 2020.
As M.Zaharova, «the Year of History was officially announced by the President of the Government of the Russian Federation, Mikhail Mishustin in Athens, on the sidelines of the central celebrations of the 200th anniversary on March 25», while tomorrow the Chairmen of the Year's Organizing Committees will be appointed, the Assistant to the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Medinsky and the Secretary General of the Parliamentary Foundation for Parliamentarism and Democracy Evanthis Hadjivassiliou will sign a Joint Declaration with the official programme of the Year.
The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman also announced that the former Minister of Culture and current Assistant to the Russian President, V.Medinsky, will meet with Minister of Culture Lina Mendoni, while the events will be attended by Vladimir Putin's Special Representative for International Cultural Cooperation and coordinator of the Year Mikhail Svitkoy.
