Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Attends International Museum Conference Entitled “Second World War: One War, Different Perspectives”, at Athens War Museum

Minister of National Defence Nikos Dendias Attends International Museum Conference Entitled "Second World War: One War, Different Perspectives", at Athens War Museum

October 19, 2026

The Minister of National Defence, Nikos Dendias, made an address today, Monday 19 October 2026, at the International Museum Conference entitled "Second World War: One War, Different Perspectives", which took place at the Athens War Museum.

The conference was organised by the Athens War Museum in cooperation with UK's Imperial War Museums and the Polish Army Museum.

This international event is a significant opportunity for representatives of important museums and national recollection institutions to meet and exchange opinions, aiming at putting the spotlight on different approaches and narratives of World War II.

In particular, the War Museums of Greece, the United Kingdom Imperial War Museums, the Polish Katyn Museum, the Branch of the Polish Army Museum in Warsaw, the Museum of the Second World War in Gdańsk, the Military History Institute Prague, and the National Military Museum I Royal Dutch Defence Museums Foundation participated in the Conference.

In the framework of the event, an exhibition by the "Georgios Levithopoulos" Archive of Greek Letters, a photography exhibition of the "Vyron Mitos" collection, and a photographic archive exhibition by the participating War Museums are on display.

During his address to the attendants of the Conference, Mr. Dendias stated:

"It is a great pleasure and an honour, I dare say, to be among you today at the Athens War Museum for the international conference with the title "Second World War: One War, Different Perspectives".

The topic of this conference has a double meaning: In strict terms, it calls upon us to approach our European history through the experiences of peoples who lived the tragedy of World War II. In a broader sense, I think it urges us to realise that the experiences of the peoples of Europe must be understood as a whole and not as separate fragments shaped by the geographic position and perspective of each one of us.

I would also like to say that this conference is particularly significant because it instils a new mindset inus.

In the past, and unfortunately to date in our country, Museums, especially War Museums, were to a great extent mere exhibitions of artefacts; something that we will slowly change together with the administration. This is an obsolete point of view.

War Museums and museums in general are not simply exhibitions of objects. For the modern mindset, they are spaces where experiences are created and shared.

For this purpose, I assign particular significance to the cooperation of our War Museum with the Imperial War Museum and the Polish Army Museum. Since the beginning of my tenure, I have worked towards that direction.

It saddens me that I have not spent as much time as I would like with the Board of Directors, but I am certain that we are headed towards the right direction.

Through the exchange of know-how, the development of common scientific and educational activities, the utilisation of modern history presentation methods, our War Museum, along with all War Museums in the country, can be upgraded, in order to highlight the experience of our course in history.

Because that is not limited to only keeping the memory alive, which is really important in its own regard. It goes far beyond that.

Firstly, we live in difficult times. War has returned to Europe, something we never believed possible. It has become clear that peace, freedom, and democracy, are not to be taken for granted; protecting them and being dedicated to the International Law requires having the necessary deterrent power to protect them. Deterrent power means strong Armed Forces.

However, ladies and gentlemen, the Armed Forces can be strong only when society supports them. They cannot exist as an independent mechanism. For this social support to exist in all countries as well as our own, society must make a realisation.

That means that a mindset, particularly in younger generations, towards assuming the duty of protecting our independent and self-willed historical existence, needs to exist; and this is a focal point of my concern.

Everyone, and especially the younger generations, must understand the historical narrative as their own in the way that is projected to the present. They must want to defend, claim, and lead it to the future based on their own point of view and priorities.

What is there for us to do? We are the ones that can create the spaces and possibilities, in order to be able to pass the historical experience down to the new generation of European citizens, both Greeks and those who have the pleasure of visiting us, the ones we host with honour.

We can show them the past as an experience; what their fathers, grandfathers, and great-grandfathers did.

There will be no young person that will grow any feelings for the past through exhibitions of items alone. That is no longer possible.

So, we ought to transcend to this new era.

I would like to congratulate the Athens War Museum, the cooperating international institutions, the distinguished speakers, and all of you contributing to the conduct of this conference.

Apart from my warmest wishes for success, about which I am certain, I would like to stress that we are all fulfilling a moral and national duty: the repaying of the debt we owe to those who sacrificed their lives for the freedom of Europe.

That is everyone's responsibility towards the past, but also towards the younger generations and the future.

Thank you very much".

In the framework of the international conference, the Minister of National Defence and the Board of Directors were briefed by the staff of the TSOLAKIS & PARTNERS Architecture Studio on the upgrade study of the Athens War Museum. The conference was attended by the President of the Athens War Museum, retired Lieutenant General (HAF) Konstantinos Karamesinis, the Second Vice President of the Athens War Museum, retired Lieutenant General Ioannis Tzounakos, honorary Rear Admiral Panagiotis Laskaridis, honorary Commodore Evangelos Aggelakos, honorary Brigadier General Efstathios Potamitis, honorary Brigadier General Michail Tsamaz, and Architect Georgios Tsolakis.

The Conference was also attended by His Grace, the Bishop of Neochori Christodoulos as representative of His Beatitude, the Archbishop of Athens and all Greece, the Chief HNDGS, General Dimitrios Choupis, the Ambassador of the Czech Republic to Greece Ivo Silhavy, the Ambassador of Brazil to Greece, Laudemar Gonçalves de Aguiar Neto, as well as representatives of the Embassies of the United Kingdom, France, the United Arab Emirates, and Portugal.

On behalf of the military leadership the Conference was attended by Brigadier General Paschalis Filousis, as representative of the Chief HAGS, Commodore Georgios Lyberis HN as representative of the Chief HNDGS, Brigadier General (HAF) Dimitrios Krikelas, as representative of the Chief HAFGS, the Commanding General of the Joint Academic Education Command, Lieutenant General Anastasios Polychronos, the President of the Association of Friends of the Athens War Museum, Antonios Gortzis, the granddaughter of the namesake National Resistance heroine, Lela Karagianni, representatives of Retired Officers Associations, as well as Presidents of museums and various institutions.