Greece to mark revolution bicentennial with pomp and parades

ATHENS: Greece will mark 200 years since the start of its independence war with the Ottoman Empire on Thursday, with parades and ceremonies attended by foreign dignitaries, though the pandemic forced officials to scale back events.

With celebrations planned all over Greece and among diaspora communities overseas, Prime Minister Kyriakos Mitsotakis said on Wednesday the "rebirth of Greece" was "a special moment for all Hellenism".

Greece fought for nearly a decade for its independence from an empire that extended through the Balkans and modern-day Turkey to North Africa, coming out victorious thanks to military intervention by Britain, France and Russia.

The three allies from the conflict are among the countries to have sent military hardware for Thursday's celebrations.

Parades of tanks, artillery and overflying jets will mark the occasion in the capital Athens, alongside mounted troops in traditional costumes from the 1821 conflict.

Among the foreign dignitaries attending are Russian Prime Minister Mikhail Mishustin and Britain's Prince Charles, with France represented by Defence Minister Florence Parly after President Emmanuel Macron pulled out over the pandemic.

"As the wellspring of Western civilisation, Greece's spirit runs through our societies and our democracies," Charles said at a dinner at the presidential mansion on Wednesday.

"Without her, our laws, our art, our way of life, would never have flourished as they have."