Prime Minister Antonis Samaras traveled to Evros, northeastern Greece on Thursday to attend the final phase of a military exercise entitled “Parmenion 2014”.

Following the conclusion of the exercise, Mr. Samaras stated the following:

“The Greece of pride, of power and of authority is here, in Thrace and throughout the country. Thrace is one of the safest corners in Greece. I would very much like to congratulate the Armed Forces for this excellent, from every aspect, exercise. The Armed Forces are the guarantor of our country’s security and I must repeat that we witnessed with pride the strength, dignity and the prestige of the Armed Forces.

I would like to say that the Greek state will do whatever it takes to ensure a bright future for these brilliant kids, by improving the conditions of their service and addressing the salary issue. This was the soul of the Greek soldier we saw behind every airplane, every helicopter.”

Mr. Samaras thanked Defence Minister Dimitris Avramopoulos and the Chief of the Armed Forces Gen. Mikhail Kostarakos for organizing a “fantastic experience” and underlined that he was honored to attend the exercise.