“The Presidential Decree, at my proposal, has been signed by the President of the Hellenic Republic and its honorary award will take place shortly at the Presidency of the Republic,” said the Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, announcing the award of the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix to the late Honorary Rear Admiral Vardis I. Vardinoyannis, during an honorary event held for the contribution of Motor Oil (Hellas) to the Navy, which took place in the “Ioannis Kapodistrias” hall of the Ministry of National Defence.

The event was also attended by the Deputy Minister of National Defence Yannis Kefalogiannis, the Chief of the General Staff General Dimitrios Houpis, the Chief of the General Staff Lieutenant General Georgios Kostidis, Chief of Naval Staff Vice Admiral Demetrios – -Eleftherios Kataras PN, Chief of General Staff Vice Admiral (I) Demosthenes Grigoriadis and the Chairman of the Board of Directors and CEO of the Group Motor Oil, Ioannis V. Vardinoyannis.

Also present were senior and senior officers of the Armed Forces, a representative of the Chief of the Coast Guard, as well as executives of Motor Oil (Hellas).

Lieutenant Commander with honor Ioannis Vardinoyannis

During the event, the Chairman of the Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer of Motor Oil Group, Ioannis V. Vardinoyannis, was awarded the title of Reserve Officer of the rank of Commander-in-Chief with honour. Furthermore, it was announced that upon the proposal of the Minister of National Defence, the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix will be awarded to the late Honorary Rear Admiral Vardis I. Vardinoyannis by the Presidency of the Republic, at a ceremony to be held shortly.

Also during the event, a donation of five million euros from the Motor Oil Group to the Navy, in memory of Honorary Rear Admiral Vardis I. Vardinoyannis, was announced. Specifically, it was announced that 4.5 million euros will be allocated for the construction of the 4th and 5th floors of the Athens Naval Hospital (ANA) and the new hospital wings, while 500,000 euros will be allocated for the reconstruction of the infrastructure of the treatment centre of the Naval Cadet School, as well as for the purchase of new medical equipment.

The Minister of National Defence in his address said:

“Ladies and gentlemen,

I would like to welcome you to today’s event. To an event where the Armed Forces of our Motherland confer the rank of Commander-in-Chief with honour on Yannis Vardinoyannis.

Mr. Vardinoyannis has actively stood by the Armed Forces, with a sense of responsibility and an interest in protecting the country. With significant donations from his family for the upgrading of the facilities of the Naval Cadet School and the Naval School of Permanent Naval Officers, for the modernization of the Athens Naval Hospital, for the computer equipment of the General Staff of National Defence, with a special interest in the General Staff of the Navy.

All these constitute a tangible commitment to the great national effort, the support of the Armed Forces of our country.

And as he told us a few moments ago, the offer is primarily about improving the living conditions and training of our personnel and the rehabilitation of the health of our personnel.

Because he correctly diagnosed that the Armed Forces are beyond, first and foremost, the people who serve them. The men and women who dedicatedly defend their country and who deserve every possible support for doing so.

Ladies and gentlemen,

The Greek national narrative has over time been based on the institution of sponsorship.

The Athenian Republic, without sponsorship and the triarchy, would not have existed. And it continues through the centuries as a national boon. As that is, a contribution of people who made it in life and who chose to support the Fatherland at its critical moments.

On behalf of the Ministry of National Defence, and if you will allow me to do so personally, Mr Vardinoyannis, I would like to express my appreciation for your contribution.

I would like to say that donations are a practical statement of contribution to the vision of a strong Homeland.

And you will henceforth allow me, as well as the Armed Forces family, to refer to you as “Mr. Commander”

With this honorary distinction, we induct you into the ranks of the active military, as a man whose actions contribute to the common effort, as your father did before you, and whose example you follow.

Admiral Vardis Vardinoyannis distinguished himself as an officer of the Navy and was persecuted by the dictatorship for his democratic beliefs. But he always felt like a naval officer. A straightforward man with a high sense of patriotism, he contributed to the Armed Forces.

Mr. Vardis, as he was known to many of us who knew him, embodied the model of a stern father figure.

And here I feel the need to refer to his life and work partner, Marianna Vardinoyannis, who embodied exactly the complement of the strict fatherly image, an image of maternal embrace and care, especially for the children with cancer, to whom she dedicated her life, and who was awarded the highest distinction, the Nelson Mandela Award, by the United Nations Secretary-General during my presence at the Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

For your father’s contribution, Mr Vardinoyannis, we feel the need not only to express our gratitude but also to have him awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of the Phoenix, which is here, by the Hellenic Republic.

The Phoenix, as you all know, is the Kapodistrian symbol of the country’s continuing rebirth through its adventures. A symbol of honor that belongs to the special Greeks.

The Presidential Decree, at my proposal, has been signed by the President of the Hellenic Republic and its honorary awarding will take place in the near future at the Presidency of the Republic.

Vardis Vardinoyannis is no longer among us, but I am sure that if he could have listened to us, he would have felt pride and humility because he did not seek recognition.

I would like to say, however, that the memory of those who bequeath to the Fatherland remains alive.

Thank you very much.”