Greek President Prokopios Pavlopoulos joined British Prime Minister Theresa May, American President Donald Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, German Chancellor Angela Merkel and other leaders on Wednesday for a D-Day commemoration ceremony in the southern British city of Portsmouth.
The event included musical performances and historical readings, including Trump reciting a prayer which former US President Franklin Roosevelt had read to Americans listening to him on the radio exactly seventy-five years ago, after the launch of the 1944 invasion.
May’s office released a statement highlighting the “historic international cooperation” involved in the massive operation to land forces across the English Channel in Normandy, France, as the allied militaries worked to defeat Nazi Germany.
“As we unite to pay tribute to those whose bravery and sacrifice on the beaches of Normandy marked a turning point in the Second World War, we will vow never to forget the debt we owe them,” May said. “Their solidarity and determination in the defense of our freedom remains a lesson to us all.”
Britain’s Queen Elizabeth also took part in the commemorations, including visiting with D-Day veterans who were present, along with President Trump.
President Pavlopoulos issued a statement, where he noted that ”as Europeans, this anniversary reminds us of our duty to defend the European project, which was created from the ashes of World War II”.
”D-Day” is the code name given to the massive Normandy landings of June 6, 1944, when the Allied forces invaded the German-occupied region of Normandy in France during World War II.
With information from VOA
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