A “war of announcements” seems to have erupted in recent hours between Minister of National Defense Nikos Dendias and Athens Mayor Haris Doukas regarding the implementation of the new law on the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, specifically over who holds responsibility for its cleaning.

Yesterday morning, the two men met at the Ministry of National Defense after an invitation from Mr. Dendias (also extended to the co-responsible Minister Michalis Chrysochoidis) to discuss better coordination following the passage of the recent amendment.
“The purpose of the meetings was to coordinate, as prescribed by law, the respective responsibilities of the Municipality of Athens and the Ministry of Citizen Protection concerning the Monument of the Unknown Soldier,” the Ministry of Defense initially stated.

Meanwhile, Mayor Doukas, in a post wishing the government “good luck,” reminded everyone of his position on the monument and his assessment that, based on “what the Prime Minister said in Parliament and the amendment passed, from today the responsibility for the care of the Monument and its surrounding area belongs exclusively to the government.”

A few hours later, as the exchange of statements continued, the Ministry of Defense announced that it “will proceed with assigning the cleaning of the area to a private company for as long as necessary.”

This decision was based on the acknowledgment that, according to Article 102 of the Constitution, responsibility for cleaning belongs exclusively to Local Government, and specifically, in the case of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, to the Municipality of Athens.
“After the public statement of the Mayor of Athens that, in his view, ‘responsibility for the Monument belongs exclusively to the Government,’ the Ministry of National Defense cannot allow the degradation of this site of memory and honor to those who fought for the Nation and the Homeland,” the Ministry said in a statement, emphasizing that “it will therefore assign the cleaning of the area to a third party, for as long as required.”

As Minister Nikos Dendias has stressed in his recent statement, “respect for the dead of our National Struggles and for our History is a collective duty and the responsibility of us all.”

Mayor Haris Doukas, however, maintains a different stance, referring to the “war of announcements” as proof that a new law is now in force. He believes that the word “care” in the amendment—signed by seven ministers, including Mr. Dendias—includes the cleaning of the monument.
“Yesterday, the government introduced and passed an amendment assigning the care, and therefore the cleaning, of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier to the Ministry of National Defense,” the Mayor reiterated late last night. He added:
“Today, the Ministry of National Defense informs us that, according to Article 102 of the Constitution, responsibility for cleaning lies with the Municipality of Athens. The conclusions are yours to draw. Unfortunately, the necessary respect for the Monument is still being sought…”

In a later statement, the Ministry of National Defense began its response to the Mayor with the pointed remark:
“Heaven forbid if cleaning were part of the Constitutional mission of the Armed Forces!”

Regarding the statement issued by the Municipality of Athens, the Ministry emphasized—“the obvious,” as it noted—that:
“According to the law, the care of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier refers to ensuring it serves the purpose for which it was established. Cleaning, under Article 102 of the Constitution, is a local matter and falls exclusively within the competence of the Municipal Authority. Heaven forbid if cleaning were part of the Constitutional mission of the Armed Forces! Their mission is quite another.”