The military parade on occasion of Greek Independence Day took place at Syntagma Square in front of Greek Parliament Saturday. Before the large parade the President of the Hellenic Republic, Prokopis Pavlopoulos attended the traditional doxology, while Defence Minister Panos Kammenos was also present after returning from his visit to the US. Mr. Pavlopoulos laid a wreath at the tomb of the Unknown Soldiers in front of Parliament. After the ceremony and the parade Mr. Pavlopoulos made statements stressing the Greece belonged in the core of the EU and the union would never be the same without Greece, while Panos Kammenos underlined the unity between the armed forces and the citizenry. Dora Bakoyiannis, who represented the major opposition party New Democracy (ND) underlined the significance of the national celebration, while other leaders of the Greek political scene also made statements on occasion of the day. The sunny weather made it a perfect opportunity for Greek citizens, who packed the centre of Athens to watch the parade.